7,771 Shares in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) Purchased by B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG purchased a new position in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 7,771 shares of the semiconductor company's stock, valued at approximately $6,018,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Family Firm Inc. acquired a new stake in KLA in the second quarter valued at $30,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in KLA in the third quarter valued at $38,000. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in KLA in the second quarter valued at $44,000. LRI Investments LLC acquired a new stake in KLA in the first quarter valued at $45,000. Finally, Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in KLA in the second quarter valued at $53,000. 86.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KLAC has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Susquehanna dropped their price target on KLA from $680.00 to $675.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on KLA from $960.00 to $900.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of KLA in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Argus lifted their price objective on KLA from $800.00 to $875.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on KLA from $890.00 to $750.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $802.90.

KLA Stock Performance

Shares of KLAC stock traded up $1.17 on Wednesday, hitting $616.83. 1,180,754 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 966,179. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65, a current ratio of 2.13 and a quick ratio of 1.48. The company has a market capitalization of $82.51 billion, a PE ratio of 28.17, a PEG ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.29. KLA Co. has a 1-year low of $527.11 and a 1-year high of $896.32. The company's fifty day moving average is $717.28 and its 200 day moving average is $762.78.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The semiconductor company reported $7.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.03 by $0.30. KLA had a return on equity of 105.16% and a net margin of 28.92%. The firm had revenue of $2.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.75 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $5.74 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 18.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that KLA Co. will post 30.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be paid a $1.70 dividend. This is a boost from KLA's previous quarterly dividend of $1.45. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.10%. KLA's dividend payout ratio is presently 31.05%.

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.