KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC – Get Free Report) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-nine brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $220.35.
KLAC has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $225.00 price objective on shares of KLA in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $260.00 price target (up from $200.00) on shares of KLA in a report on Thursday, July 16th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $180.00 price target (down from $190.00) on shares of KLA in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on KLA from $245.00 to $210.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets set a $133.00 price objective on KLA in a research report on Thursday, October 29th.
Read Our Latest Analysis on KLA
Insider Buying and Selling
In other news, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 72,019 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.88, for a total transaction of $12,378,625.72. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 706,925 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $121,506,269. This represents a 9.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Brian Lorig sold 59,586 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $208.13, for a total transaction of $12,401,634.18. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 77,681 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,167,746.53. The trade was a 43.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 79.39% of the company’s stock.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On KLA
A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Allied Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of KLA in the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Atomic Invest LLC boosted its position in shares of KLA by 781.8% during the second quarter. Atomic Invest LLC now owns 97 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the period. Roble Belko & Company Inc boosted its position in shares of KLA by 2,275.0% during the second quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 95 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the period. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of KLA by 900.0% during the second quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 100 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cherry Tree Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of KLA by 900.0% during the second quarter. Cherry Tree Wealth Management LLC now owns 120 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.65% of the company’s stock.
KLA Stock Up 1.1%
Shares of NASDAQ:KLAC opened at $152.99 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $173.90 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $181.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 1.86 and a current ratio of 2.76. The company has a market capitalization of $199.34 billion, a PE ratio of 36.97, a PEG ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.49. KLA has a 52 week low of $107.20 and a 52 week high of $307.37.
KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The semiconductor company reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.18 by $0.04. KLA had a net margin of 36.25% and a return on equity of 89.30%. The company had revenue of $4.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.04 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $8.47 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 28.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that KLA will post 5.73 earnings per share for the current year.
KLA Announces Dividend
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 16th. KLA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 23.00%.
KLA Company Profile
KLA Corporation develops process-control and yield-management technologies used in the manufacture of semiconductors and other electronic products. Its systems help manufacturers detect defects, measure features and monitor production processes as they make increasingly complex devices. The company’s products include inspection and metrology equipment, as well as software and related services. Its technologies support multiple stages of semiconductor production, from work on wafers and reticles to advanced packaging.
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