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

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

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Trading Down 2.7%

Kulicke and Soffa Industries stock traded down $1.62 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $57.55. The stock had a trading volume of 691,241 shares, compared to its average volume of 576,994. Kulicke and Soffa Industries has a 12 month low of $26.63 and a 12 month high of $59.79. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $46.86 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $41.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.01 billion, a PE ratio of -2,876.06 and a beta of 1.63.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries (NASDAQ:KLIC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 19th. The semiconductor company reported $0.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.22 by $0.06. Kulicke and Soffa Industries had a net margin of 0.03% and a negative return on equity of 1.64%. Kulicke and Soffa Industries’s revenue for the quarter 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. Sell-side analysts expect that Kulicke and Soffa Industries 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, January 6th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 18th were given a $0.205 dividend. This represents a $0.82 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 18th. Kulicke and Soffa Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -4,100.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KLIC has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Zacks Research upgraded Kulicke and Soffa Industries from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 24th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries in a report on Monday, December 29th. Needham & Company LLC raised their price objective on shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries from $46.00 to $57.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $55.00 price objective on shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries in a research note on Friday, November 21st. Finally, B. Riley reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $39.00 price target (up from $35.00) on shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries in a research report on Friday, November 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $47.25.

Insider Transactions at Kulicke and Soffa Industries

In other news, SVP Nelson Munpun Wong sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 12th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $7,143,639.57. This trade represents a 19.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, General Counsel Zi Yao Lim sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.00, for a total value of $45,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel owned 23,714 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,067,130. This trade represents a 4.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 36,004 shares of company stock worth $1,991,450. Company insiders own 3.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kulicke and Soffa Industries

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 541.4% during the third quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 665,295 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $27,038,000 after buying an additional 561,571 shares during the period. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH bought a new stake in Kulicke and Soffa Industries in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $17,532,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its position in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 21.1% during the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 2,348,020 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $81,241,000 after acquiring an additional 409,116 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 20.4% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,313,378 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $80,043,000 after acquiring an additional 392,691 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 549.8% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 321,313 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $11,117,000 after acquiring an additional 271,868 shares in the last quarter. 98.22% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.