Allianz SE Takes $3.20 Million Position in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Allianz SE acquired a new position in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 5,052 shares of the semiconductor company's stock, valued at approximately $3,201,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in KLAC. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in KLA by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,484,468 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $8,496,833,000 after purchasing an additional 85,370 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of KLA by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,979,293 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $4,630,424,000 after buying an additional 145,317 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in KLA by 3.0% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,221,694 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $2,487,971,000 after purchasing an additional 93,743 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of KLA in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,175,756,000. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its holdings in KLA by 25.2% in the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 1,455,161 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $916,926,000 after acquiring an additional 292,907 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.65% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at KLA

In other news, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 7,008 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $724.62, for a total transaction of $5,078,136.96. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 28,798 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,867,606.76. This represents a 19.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.12% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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KLA Stock Down 7.1 %

KLAC traded down $48.46 on Thursday, hitting $637.73. 271,715 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,004,581. The company has a current ratio of 2.36, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The company has a market cap of $84.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.30. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $722.87 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $701.74. KLA Co. has a twelve month low of $609.40 and a twelve month high of $896.32.

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

KLA Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were given a dividend of $1.70 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $6.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.07%. KLA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.60%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on shares of KLA from $725.00 to $850.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of KLA from $795.00 to $870.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "hold" rating and issued a $725.00 price objective (down previously from $875.00) on shares of KLA in a report on Friday, March 28th. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their target price on KLA from $800.00 to $875.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on KLA from $665.00 to $780.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $832.17.

KLA Company 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.