KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the eighteen research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and twelve have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $830.67.

Several research firms have weighed in on KLAC. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their target price on shares of KLA from $800.00 to $875.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Susquehanna lifted their price target on KLA from $620.00 to $655.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on KLA from $703.00 to $748.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on KLA from $795.00 to $870.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of KLA from $800.00 to $825.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st.

KLA Stock Up 0.7 %

KLA stock traded up $5.29 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $718.29. 975,891 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 950,053. The business has a fifty day moving average of $726.81 and a 200 day moving average of $705.71. KLA has a 12-month low of $609.40 and a 12-month high of $896.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a current ratio of 2.36. The firm has a market cap of $95.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.21, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.30.

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

KLA Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a $1.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.95%. KLA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.60%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On KLA

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Hutchens & Kramer Investment Management Group LLC lifted its holdings in KLA by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Hutchens & Kramer Investment Management Group LLC now owns 411 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $259,000 after acquiring an additional 13 shares during the period. Richardson Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in shares of KLA by 5.9% in the 4th quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 253 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $160,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares during the period. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. increased its stake in KLA by 6.5% in the 4th quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 246 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $155,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC increased its position in shares of KLA by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC now owns 755 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $476,000 after buying an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Anchor Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of KLA by 12.0% in the 4th quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 140 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $88,000 after buying an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. 86.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.