Thematics Asset Management Reduces Position in KLA Corporation $KLAC

Thematics Asset Management trimmed its holdings in shares of KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 1.9% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 36,369 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 703 shares during the quarter. KLA accounts for 1.3% of Thematics Asset Management’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest holding. Thematics Asset Management’s holdings in KLA were worth $24,724,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of KLAC. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of KLA by 95,141.6% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,674,347 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,138,221,000 after acquiring an additional 1,672,589 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in shares of KLA during the first quarter worth about $348,822,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its position in shares of KLA by 27.9% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,852,814 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,259,543,000 after acquiring an additional 404,634 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in KLA by 33.7% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,191,262 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $750,638,000 after buying an additional 300,015 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Voloridge Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in KLA by 421.8% in the fourth quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 325,411 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $205,048,000 after buying an additional 263,051 shares during the last quarter. 86.65% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at KLA

In related news, CAO Virendra A. Kirloskar sold 39 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $891.50, for a total value of $34,768.50. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 2,616 shares in the company, valued at $2,332,164. This trade represents a 1.47% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Brian Lorig sold 8,049 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $913.68, for a total value of $7,354,210.32. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 11,479 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,488,132.72. This represents a 41.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 18,889 shares of company stock worth $17,257,637. Company insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

KLA Stock Performance

Shares of KLAC stock opened at $870.28 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.83, a current ratio of 2.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. The business has a 50 day moving average of $904.12 and a two-hundred day moving average of $785.55. KLA Corporation has a 52 week low of $551.33 and a 52 week high of $959.26. The company has a market cap of $114.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.64, a PEG ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 1.44.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The semiconductor company reported $9.38 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.53 by $0.85. KLA had a return on equity of 112.41% and a net margin of 33.41%.The company had revenue of $3.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.08 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $6.60 earnings per share. KLA’s quarterly revenue was up 23.6% compared to the same quarter last year. KLA has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 7.760-9.300 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that KLA Corporation will post 31.59 EPS for the current year.

KLA announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, April 30th that allows the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the semiconductor company to repurchase up to 5.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

KLA Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be paid a $1.90 dividend. This represents a $7.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 18th. KLA’s payout ratio is presently 25.01%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KLAC has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of KLA in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on KLA in a report on Thursday, July 10th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $980.00 price objective for the company. TD Securities boosted their price objective on KLA from $770.00 to $800.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $950.00 price objective (up from $850.00) on shares of KLA in a report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on KLA from $916.00 to $928.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $890.59.

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.