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 the month of 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 sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 415,702 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.4 days. Based on an average trading volume of 415,702 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.4 days. Approximately 2.8% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Price Performance

KLIC traded down $1.62 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $57.55. 691,241 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, 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 stock has a market capitalization of $3.01 billion, a PE ratio of -2,876.06 and a beta of 1.63. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $46.49 and its 200 day moving average price 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 for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.22 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $177.56 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $169.84 million. Kulicke and Soffa Industries had a net margin of 0.03% and a negative return on equity of 1.64%. The company’s revenue was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.34 EPS. Kulicke and Soffa Industries has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.297-0.363 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Kulicke and Soffa Industries will post 0.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 6th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 18th were given a dividend of $0.205 per share. This represents a $0.82 dividend on an annualized basis and a 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%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on KLIC. Needham & Company LLC raised their price target on Kulicke and Soffa Industries from $46.00 to $57.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. DA Davidson reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $55.00 price objective on shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Wall Street Zen downgraded Kulicke and Soffa Industries from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 24th. 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, Kulicke and Soffa Industries presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $47.25.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 7,368 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $336,000 after acquiring an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 9.6% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,427 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $156,000 after buying an additional 299 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas lifted its holdings in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 24,655 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,002,000 after acquiring an additional 323 shares in the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 22,897 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $792,000 after purchasing an additional 382 shares during the period. Finally, Ifrah Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 3.0% in the 2nd quarter. Ifrah Financial Services Inc. now owns 13,433 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $465,000 after purchasing an additional 386 shares in the last quarter. 98.22% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.