Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC) Short Interest Down 24.8% in December

Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 1,429,757 shares, a decline of 24.8% from the December 15th total of 1,902,357 shares. Approximately 2.8% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 415,702 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.4 days. Based on an average daily volume of 415,702 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.4 days. Approximately 2.8% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Trading Down 2.7%

Kulicke and Soffa Industries stock traded down $1.62 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $57.55. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 691,241 shares, compared to its average volume of 596,934. Kulicke and Soffa Industries has a 1 year low of $26.63 and a 1 year high of $59.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.01 billion, a PE ratio of -2,876.06 and a beta of 1.63. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $46.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $40.89.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries (NASDAQ:KLIC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 19th. The semiconductor company reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.22 by $0.06. Kulicke and Soffa Industries had a negative return on equity of 1.64% and a net margin of 0.03%.The firm had revenue of $177.56 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $169.84 million. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.34 EPS. Kulicke and Soffa Industries has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.297-0.363 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Kulicke and Soffa Industries will post 0.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 6th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 18th were paid a dividend of $0.205 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 18th. This represents a $0.82 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. Kulicke and Soffa Industries’s dividend payout ratio is presently -4,100.00%.

Insider Activity

In other news, General Counsel Zi Yao Lim sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.00, for a total transaction of $45,000.00. Following the sale, the general counsel directly owned 23,714 shares in the company, valued at $1,067,130. This trade represents a 4.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Nelson Munpun Wong sold 30,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $56.53, for a total value of $1,695,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 126,369 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,143,639.57. The trade was a 19.19% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 36,004 shares of company stock worth $1,991,450. Corporate insiders own 3.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kulicke and Soffa Industries

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of KLIC. Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 10.0% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 64,220 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $2,118,000 after acquiring an additional 5,836 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 168.8% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 49,445 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,631,000 after acquiring an additional 31,048 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 2.9% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 31,080 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,025,000 after purchasing an additional 877 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its stake in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 8.0% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 155,842 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $5,140,000 after buying an additional 11,522 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 55.7% in the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 66,898 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,206,000 after acquiring an additional 23,923 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.22% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on KLIC. Zacks Research raised shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 24th. DA Davidson reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $55.00 price target on shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries in a report on Monday, December 29th. B. Riley reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $39.00 target price (up from $35.00) on shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Finally, Needham & Company LLC boosted their price target on shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries from $46.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $47.25.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Company Profile

Kulicke & Soffa Industries (NASDAQ:KLIC) is a global supplier of semiconductor and LED assembly equipment. The company specializes in the design, development and manufacture of advanced die bonding, wire bonding, flip-chip bumping and wafer-level packaging systems. Its solutions support a wide range of applications in consumer electronics, automotive, communications and other high-growth segments within the semiconductor and LED industries.

Key products include precision wire bonders for microelectronic packaging, die attach systems for chip placement, flip-chip bonders for advanced packaging architectures and LED packaging platforms that enable high-volume production of automotive and general-illumination LEDs.