Positioning no disclosures inside 60 days, left as found
Options no verdict drawn today, left as found
Ethical passes the values gate
Price96.03 USD
Fair value77.44
Ethical score70.0/100
Our investment reviews on this name
2026-10-02Read Markup96.03+0.0% to today ✓
2026-08-03Read Distribution89.20+7.7% to today
2026-07-02Read Markup113.13-15.1% to today
Our analytic regime reads on this name, dated and marked against the screened price. Small sample per name, and separate from the daily-framework accuracy on the Track Record page.
Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. holds its Markup at $96.03. Consolidating, no directional conviction, held for 57 days.
As held on the ledger · 2026-10-01
Phase
Markup
Quantitative state
Consolidating, no directional conviction, held for 57 days
Price at the screen
$96.03
Valuation
43.85 trailing · 16.27 forward price to earnings
Values screen
PASS· score 70.0
Beta
1.62
The Workings
Five Screens, Shown in Full
Full pass across all five screens. This security clears the Titan Ethical Standard: its business and its balance sheet both stay inside the lines.
Test
Figure
Limit
What it means
Status
Business activity
Permissible
Core business clean
Its core business isn't built on prohibited lines: no gambling, alcohol, tobacco, weapons, or interest-based lending.
Pass
Debt load
3.49%
Below 33%
Interest-bearing debt is just 3.5% of its assets, well under the one-third ceiling: it does not run on borrowed money.
Pass
Interest-bearing cash
0.63%
Below 33%
Cash held in interest-bearing accounts and securities is 0.6% of assets, under the one-third limit.
Pass
Receivables
36.15%
Below 49%
Money owed to the company is 36.2% of assets, under the 49% limit.
Pass
Revenue purity
3.64%
Below 5%
Only 3.6% of revenue comes from non-compliant sources, under the 5% line.
Pass
Five checks adapted from AAOIFI screening standards: business activity plus four balance-sheet ratios. All five must pass for ethical clearance. Every figure is arithmetic on public accounts, not judgement.
The Ethical Read
Why It Clears, in Plain English
Kulicke and Soffa Industries, clears all five screens. Its business is in a permissible area, its interest-bearing debt is about 3%, inside the ~33% line, and interest is about 4% of its income, under the ~5% line, so it passes.
Read as at 2026-10-04. It updates when the underlying figures move, and past reads are kept below.
Fair value range in USD, drawn from the 2026-10-01 screen. The gold marker is the market price at the same screen. The price runs 19.4% above the base estimate.
Third-party analyst targets: 3 covering, consensus None. The average target sits +9% from the screen price.
Reading the gap · Our more conservative model reads it as fully-to-richly valued here, while the Street is more bullish: a quality-at-a-fair-price name rather than a deep-value one.
Price History & Projections
Where it has been, where the models see it going. History from market close data; projection points are our fair-value estimates and third-party analyst targets, dated to the 2026-10-01 screen.
Fair value and rating are our own model estimates; the Street's range reflects third-party analyst estimates. Analysis, not advice.
The Business, in Plain Words
Chip gear maker rides a fading cycle
When a chip plant suddenly needs more wire bonders the orders land fast, yet they vanish just as quickly once memory or handset demand cools. Kulicke and Soffa posted 50 percent revenue growth but still only clears 7 percent profit margins and a 6 percent return on equity. At 97 dollars the shares sit 30 percent above our fair value with no margin of safety.
Forward earnings trade on a 22.9 times multiple in an industry where peak-cycle numbers rarely hold. Low returns on capital already hint that the recent surge may reflect temporary capacity spending rather than durable strength. The ethical screen passes yet nothing here suggests a bargain once the cycle turns.
Equipment budgets get cut hard in any semiconductor downturn and earnings can drop faster than multiples expand. Three analysts see a 100 dollar target but that still leaves the stock expensive on our numbers. Analysis, not advice.
The risks · The things to watch: it already moves more than the market on an average day; its business and earnings are exposed to Singapore and to currency swings; it carries a real debt load, which raises the stakes if revenue slips.
Plain-English interpretation of our own screen data. Analysis, not advice.
Where & How to Trade
KLIC trades on Nasdaq (the company is based in Singapore). As a listed security it is accessible through almost any international broker offering its home market. New to this, or investing from abroad? Our guide to accessing global markets covers brokers, currencies and the practical steps.
The Dated Journal · Newest First, Never Edited
Every Entry, As Written
2026-10-02Markup · changed$96.03+13.6%Entry 6
The framework has shifted from distribution to markup since the last review. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved up 13.6% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 83% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are up 194%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 36%. The street (3 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $100.
2026-09-03Distribution$84.53-5.2%Entry 5
The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 5.2% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 83% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are up 194%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 36%. The street (3 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $100.
The framework has shifted from markup to distribution since the last review. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 21.2% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 83% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are up 194%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 36%. The street (3 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $100.
2026-07-18Markup$113.13+0.0%Entry 3
The framework reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows excellent risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 83% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are up 194%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 36%. The street (3 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $100.
2026-07-03Markup$113.13+0.0%Entry 2
The framework reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen (70). The risk-adjusted return profile shows excellent risk-adjusted returns.
2026-07-02Markup$113.13Entry 1
The framework reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen (70). The risk-adjusted return profile shows excellent risk-adjusted returns.
Each entry above was written on its date, before the outcome. A journal you can prune is not a journal.
