Chartwell Investment Partners LLC Boosts Stock Position in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Chartwell Investment Partners LLC lifted its position in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) by 15.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 22,692 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,996 shares during the period. KLA comprises about 0.6% of Chartwell Investment Partners LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. Chartwell Investment Partners LLC's holdings in KLA were worth $17,573,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Capital Market Strategies LLC lifted its stake in KLA by 1.6% in the second quarter. Capital Market Strategies LLC now owns 808 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $666,000 after acquiring an additional 13 shares during the last quarter. CVA Family Office LLC boosted its stake in shares of KLA by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 366 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $283,000 after acquiring an additional 13 shares in the last quarter. HBW Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in KLA by 2.6% during the second quarter. HBW Advisory Services LLC now owns 548 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $452,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. TIAA Trust National Association boosted its position in KLA by 0.4% during the second quarter. TIAA Trust National Association now owns 3,249 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $2,679,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AA Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of KLA by 2.7% in the second quarter. AA Financial Advisors LLC now owns 567 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $467,000 after buying an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. 86.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

KLA Trading Down 4.2 %

KLA stock traded down $28.91 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $658.50. The stock had a trading volume of 534,571 shares, compared to its average volume of 950,346. The stock has a market cap of $88.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.29. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $731.06 and its 200-day simple moving average is $765.29. The company has a quick ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 2.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65. KLA Co. has a one year low of $524.03 and a one year high of $896.32.

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

KLA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be paid a $1.70 dividend. This represents a $6.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. This is an increase from KLA's previous quarterly dividend of $1.45. KLA's dividend payout ratio is 26.48%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KLAC has been the topic of several research reports. Oppenheimer raised KLA from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $750.00 to $850.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on KLA from $760.00 to $875.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 16th. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of KLA from $900.00 to $765.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of KLA from $800.00 to $900.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, 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 report on Thursday, October 31st. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $802.90.

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.