Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas Makes New $4.70 Million Investment in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas acquired a new stake in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 6,069 shares of the semiconductor company's stock, valued at approximately $4,700,000.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KLAC. Mizuho Securities USA LLC increased its position in KLA by 32,828.8% in the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 3,419,000 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $2,647,708,000 after purchasing an additional 3,408,617 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of KLA by 76,452.4% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 302,382 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $234,168,000 after acquiring an additional 301,987 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in KLA by 25.7% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,399,367 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $1,083,684,000 after purchasing an additional 286,015 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its position in KLA by 6,188.5% during the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 239,404 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $185,397,000 after purchasing an additional 235,597 shares during the period. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP grew its holdings in KLA by 10,766.7% during the third quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 228,200 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $176,720,000 after purchasing an additional 226,100 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.65% of the company's stock.

KLA Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:KLAC traded up $7.16 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $653.76. The stock had a trading volume of 1,463,208 shares, compared to its average volume of 978,387. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $677.50 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $750.93. The company has a current ratio of 2.13, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65. The firm has a market cap of $87.45 billion, a PE ratio of 29.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.27. KLA Co. has a twelve month low of $542.41 and a twelve month high of $896.32.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The semiconductor company reported $7.33 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.03 by $0.30. KLA had a net margin of 28.92% and a return on equity of 105.16%. The business had revenue of $2.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.75 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $5.74 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 18.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that KLA Co. will post 30.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a $1.70 dividend. This is a positive change from KLA's previous quarterly dividend of $1.45. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.04%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. KLA's payout ratio is presently 31.05%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on KLAC. StockNews.com downgraded KLA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. TD Cowen dropped their target price on shares of KLA from $760.00 to $725.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of KLA from $960.00 to $900.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 16th. UBS Group cut their price target on KLA from $900.00 to $765.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, September 12th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised KLA from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $750.00 to $850.00 in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $812.30.

About KLA

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.