Charis Legacy Partners LLC Purchases Shares of 1,854 KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Charis Legacy Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 1,854 shares of the semiconductor company's stock, valued at approximately $1,168,000. KLA makes up approximately 2.4% of Charis Legacy Partners LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest position.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of KLAC. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of KLA in the fourth quarter worth $1,175,756,000. Parnassus Investments LLC raised its holdings in KLA by 381.3% during the fourth quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC now owns 733,328 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $462,085,000 after buying an additional 580,967 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in KLA by 114,444.5% in the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 342,488 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $215,809,000 after buying an additional 342,189 shares during the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA boosted its position in shares of KLA by 25.2% in the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 1,455,161 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $916,926,000 after acquiring an additional 292,907 shares during the period. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI raised its holdings in KLA by 172.2% in the 4th quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 357,305 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $225,145,000 after acquiring an additional 226,041 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.65% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at KLA

In related news, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 7,008 shares of KLA 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 sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 28,798 shares in the company, valued at $20,867,606.76. The trade was 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 the SEC website. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

KLA Price Performance

Shares of KLAC traded down $7.76 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $634.43. The company had a trading volume of 1,224,102 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,057,816. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $697.62 and a 200-day simple moving average of $691.75. The company has a market capitalization of $84.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.68, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a current ratio of 2.36, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. KLA Co. has a 12-month low of $551.33 and a 12-month high of $896.32.

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

KLA Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on KLAC. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "hold" rating and issued a $725.00 target price (down from $875.00) on shares of KLA in a research note on Friday, March 28th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on KLA from $825.00 to $750.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Citigroup decreased their price target on KLA from $910.00 to $800.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Barclays boosted their price objective on KLA from $700.00 to $760.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Needham & Company LLC boosted their price objective on KLA from $800.00 to $830.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Seven 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 has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $814.11.

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.