Prosperity Consulting Group LLC Grows Stock Holdings in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Prosperity Consulting Group LLC increased its position in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 30.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 807 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after buying an additional 190 shares during the period. Prosperity Consulting Group LLC’s holdings in KLA were worth $509,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Diversify Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of KLA by 22.7% during the fourth quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 648 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $443,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Keyvantage Wealth LLC bought a new position in KLA in the 4th quarter worth approximately $214,000. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in KLA by 27.6% during the 4th quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 9,778 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $6,161,000 after buying an additional 2,112 shares in the last quarter. Milestone Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of KLA during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,563,000. Finally, AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc raised its position in shares of KLA by 15.2% during the fourth quarter. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc now owns 60,834 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $38,326,000 after buying an additional 8,028 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

KLA Stock Performance

KLA stock opened at $694.61 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 2.36 and a quick ratio of 1.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $92.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.37. KLA Co. has a 1-year low of $551.33 and a 1-year high of $896.32. The company’s 50-day moving average is $685.61 and its 200 day moving average is $685.14.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.20 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.73 by $0.47. KLA had a return on equity of 108.60% and a net margin of 29.58%. Research analysts forecast that KLA Co. will post 31.59 EPS for the current year.

KLA Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a $1.70 dividend. This represents a $6.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. KLA’s payout ratio is presently 28.60%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on KLAC. Susquehanna raised their target price on shares of KLA from $620.00 to $655.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Oppenheimer cut their price objective on KLA from $850.00 to $700.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Barclays reduced their target price on KLA from $760.00 to $590.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price target on KLA from $800.00 to $875.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $725.00 price objective (down previously from $875.00) on shares of KLA in a research note on Friday, March 28th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, KLA has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $804.67.

Insider Transactions at KLA

In other KLA news, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 7,008 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $724.62, for a total value of $5,078,136.96. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 28,798 shares in the company, valued at $20,867,606.76. This represents a 19.57 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

KLA Profile

KLA Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, manufacture, and marketing of process control, process-enabling, and yield management solutions for the semiconductor and related electronics industries worldwide. It operates through three segments: Semiconductor Process Control; Specialty Semiconductor Process; and PCB and Component Inspection.