ExodusPoint Capital Management LP Makes New Investment in Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC)

ExodusPoint Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 33,038 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,542,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 36.4% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 38,659 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,804,000 after buying an additional 10,326 shares in the last quarter. Rodgers Brothers Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 7.6% in the fourth quarter. Rodgers Brothers Inc. now owns 63,150 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $2,947,000 after acquiring an additional 4,450 shares during the last quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries in the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA lifted its holdings in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 26.6% in the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 8,034 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $375,000 after acquiring an additional 1,689 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries in the fourth quarter worth about $6,875,000. 98.22% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ KLIC opened at $32.12 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $37.19 and a 200 day simple moving average of $43.30. The firm has a market cap of $1.71 billion, a PE ratio of 267.67 and a beta of 1.50. Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. has a 1 year low of $26.63 and a 1 year high of $53.71.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries (NASDAQ:KLIC) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 negative return on equity of 1.26% and a net margin of 0.48%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. will post 0.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 8th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were issued a dividend of $0.205 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $0.82 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.55%. Kulicke and Soffa Industries’s payout ratio is 683.33%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Kulicke and Soffa Industries 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.