Capital International Investors Boosts Holdings in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Capital International Investors raised its position in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) by 0.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,606,838 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after buying an additional 14,397 shares during the period. Capital International Investors owned about 2.71% of KLA worth $2,273,118,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of KLAC. Capital International Sarl increased its position in shares of KLA by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Sarl now owns 8,605 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $5,422,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co lifted its stake in shares of KLA by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 143,426 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $90,313,000 after buying an additional 5,284 shares in the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board boosted its position in KLA by 964.4% during the fourth quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 100,654 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $63,424,000 after acquiring an additional 91,198 shares during the last quarter. GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. acquired a new stake in KLA in the 4th quarter valued at about $945,000. Finally, First Commonwealth Financial Corp PA purchased a new position in KLA in the 4th quarter worth approximately $235,000. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

KLA Stock Up 4.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ KLAC traded up $25.80 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $662.16. The company's stock had a trading volume of 329,981 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,058,474. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $689.99 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $688.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $87.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 2.36 and a quick ratio of 1.63. KLA Co. has a 1 year low of $551.33 and a 1 year high of $896.32.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.20 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 EPS for the current year.

KLA Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a $1.70 dividend. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. KLA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.60%.

Insider Buying and Selling at KLA

In other news, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 7,008 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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. The trade was a 19.57 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.12% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Barclays dropped their price target on KLA from $760.00 to $590.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on KLA from $825.00 to $750.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Citigroup reduced their price target on KLA from $910.00 to $800.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Oppenheimer cut their price objective on shares of KLA from $850.00 to $700.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $725.00 target price (down from $875.00) on shares of KLA in a research note on Friday, March 28th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $804.67.

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.