Goelzer Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC – Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 35,588 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,937,000.
Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Annex Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of KLA by 343.5% in the 3rd quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC now owns 6,546 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,276,000 after buying an additional 5,070 shares in the last quarter. NFSG Corp lifted its holdings in shares of KLA by 116.6% during the 3rd quarter. NFSG Corp now owns 912 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $178,000 after purchasing an additional 491 shares during the last quarter. Walser Wealth Management Company A Ltd Liability Co acquired a new position in KLA during the 3rd quarter valued at about $320,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its stake in shares of KLA by 7.4% during the third quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 10,802 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $2,106,000 after acquiring an additional 747 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Davidson Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in KLA by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Davidson Capital Management Inc. now owns 39,143 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $7,630,000 after purchasing an additional 445 shares in the last quarter. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
KLA Stock Down 5.0%
Shares of NASDAQ KLAC opened at $165.74 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $216.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.45. KLA Corporation has a 1 year low of $107.20 and a 1 year high of $307.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 2.88 and a quick ratio of 2.03. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $186.66 and a 200-day simple moving average of $196.64.
KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The semiconductor company reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.05. KLA had a net margin of 35.57% and a return on equity of 87.66%. The firm had revenue of $3.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.61 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.94 EPS. KLA’s revenue was up 15.2% on a year-over-year basis. KLA has set its Q1 2027 guidance at 1.060-1.260 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that KLA Corporation will post 5.43 earnings per share for the current year.
KLA Increases Dividend
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 17th were issued a dividend of $0.23 per share. This is a positive change from KLA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 17th. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. KLA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.07%.
Insider Buying and Selling at KLA
In related news, CEO Richard Wallace sold 72,019 shares of KLA stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.88, for a total value of $12,378,625.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 706,925 shares in the company, valued at approximately $121,506,269. The trade was a 9.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP MaryBeth Wilkinson sold 13,802 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.50, for a total transaction of $2,698,291.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 22,110 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,322,505. This trade represents a 38.43% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 243,339 shares of company stock worth $46,903,454 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 79.39% of the company’s stock.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on KLAC shares. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $225.00 price objective on shares of KLA in a report on Monday, July 20th. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of KLA from $215.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, September 1st. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $225.00 target price on shares of KLA in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $230.00 price target on shares of KLA in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $245.00 price objective on shares of KLA and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Eighteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $221.26.
Read Our Latest Research Report on KLAC
KLA Profile
KLA Corporation (NASDAQ: KLAC) develops process-control and yield-management solutions used by semiconductor and electronics manufacturers. Its systems help customers detect defects, measure and analyze materials and structures, and monitor manufacturing processes throughout the production of integrated circuits and other advanced electronic components.
The company’s product portfolio includes inspection and metrology systems, wafer and reticle inspection equipment, process-control software, data analytics tools, and related services.
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