Kulicke and Soffa Industries (NASDAQ:KLIC) Reaches New 52-Week Low – Time to Sell?

Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC) shares hit a new 52-week low on Thursday . The company traded as low as $34.31 and last traded at $34.50, with a volume of 618863 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $35.47.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on KLIC. StockNews.com raised Kulicke and Soffa Industries from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $53.00 price objective on shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kulicke and Soffa Industries currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $52.00.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Stock Down 4.2 %

The company has a market capitalization of $1.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 275.50 and a beta of 1.38. The business’s 50-day moving average is $40.04 and its 200-day moving average is $43.99.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries (NASDAQ:KLIC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The semiconductor company reported $0.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.28 by ($0.01). Kulicke and Soffa Industries had a net margin of 0.48% and a negative return on equity of 1.26%. As a group, analysts expect that Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. will post 0.93 EPS for the current year.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 8th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.205 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $0.82 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.48%. Kulicke and Soffa Industries’s payout ratio is 683.33%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kulicke and Soffa Industries

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in KLIC. Advisors Asset Management Inc. grew its position in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 137.5% during the third quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 715 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 414 shares during the period. Summit Securities Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries during the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 61.0% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,021 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 387 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC grew its position in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 35.5% during the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,061 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 278 shares during the period. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new position in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries in the 3rd quarter valued at about $53,000. 98.22% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Company Profile

Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc designs, manufactures, and sells capital equipment and tools used to assemble semiconductor devices. It operates through four segments: Ball Bonding Equipment, Wedge Bonding Equipment, Advanced Solutions, and Aftermarket Products and Services (APS). The company offers ball bonding equipment, wafer level bonding equipment, wedge bonding equipment; and advanced display, die-attach, and thermocompression systems and solutions, as well as tools, spares and services for equipment.