Capital Research Global Investors purchased 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 and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 297,106 shares of the semiconductor company's stock, valued at approximately $187,212,000. Capital Research Global Investors owned approximately 0.22% of KLA at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. M&T Bank Corp lifted its stake in KLA by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 17,724 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $13,726,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the period. Passumpsic Savings Bank lifted its position in KLA by 6.7% during the third quarter. Passumpsic Savings Bank now owns 1,267 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $981,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new stake in KLA in the third quarter worth approximately $994,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC grew its position in KLA by 43.7% in the 3rd quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $97,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in KLA during the 3rd quarter valued at $310,000. 86.65% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
KLA Price Performance
Shares of NASDAQ KLAC traded up $5.19 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $694.61. 631,176 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,062,259. The company has a market capitalization of $92.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.21, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.37. KLA Co. has a 1 year low of $551.33 and a 1 year high of $896.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 2.36 and a quick ratio of 1.63. The company's 50-day moving average is $686.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is $687.36.
KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.20 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.73 by $0.47. KLA had a return on equity of 108.60% and a net margin of 29.58%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that KLA Co. will post 31.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.
KLA Dividend Announcement
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a dividend of $1.70 per share. This represents a $6.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. KLA's dividend payout ratio is currently 28.60%.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In related news, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 7,008 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $724.62, for a total transaction of $5,078,136.96. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 28,798 shares of the company's stock, valued at $20,867,606.76. This trade represents a 19.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.12% of the company's stock.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Several brokerages recently commented on KLAC. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on KLA from $795.00 to $870.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Needham & Company LLC upped their price target on shares of KLA from $800.00 to $830.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley raised shares of KLA from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $748.00 to $870.00 in a report on Monday, March 31st. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their target price on shares of KLA from $800.00 to $875.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Susquehanna increased their price target on shares of KLA from $620.00 to $655.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $804.67.
Read Our Latest Analysis on KLAC
KLA Company Profile
(
Free Report)
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.
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