Distillate Capital Partners LLC bought 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 SEC. The firm bought 34,262 shares of the semiconductor company's stock, valued at approximately $21,589,000. KLA accounts for approximately 1.1% of Distillate Capital Partners LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest holding.
Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new stake in KLA during the 3rd quarter valued at $942,000. M&T Bank Corp lifted its position in KLA by 0.5% during the third quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 17,724 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $13,726,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Passumpsic Savings Bank increased 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 acquiring an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in KLA during the 3rd quarter worth $994,000. Finally, Anchor Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in KLA by 43.7% during the third quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $97,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. 86.65% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
KLA Stock Up 0.9 %
KLAC traded up $6.24 on Tuesday, hitting $676.21. The company had a trading volume of 789,273 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,053,313. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $703.79 and a 200-day simple moving average of $693.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $89.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.37. KLA Co. has a 52-week low of $551.33 and a 52-week 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.
KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, equities analysts expect that KLA Co. will post 31.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.
KLA Announces Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a $1.70 dividend. This represents a $6.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. KLA's dividend payout ratio is currently 28.60%.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
KLAC has been the topic of several research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of KLA from $759.00 to $864.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of KLA from $910.00 to $800.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "hold" rating and set a $725.00 target price (down from $875.00) on shares of KLA in a report on Friday, March 28th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on KLA from $825.00 to $750.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on KLA from $665.00 to $780.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $814.11.
Read Our Latest Report on KLA
Insider Activity at KLA
In related news, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 7,008 shares of KLA stock in a transaction 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 transaction, 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
About KLA
(
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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