KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) Shares Purchased by Swedbank AB

Swedbank AB raised its stake in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) by 10.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 610,049 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after acquiring an additional 59,100 shares during the quarter. Swedbank AB owned approximately 0.46% of KLA worth $384,404,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in KLA in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Groupama Asset Managment grew its stake in KLA by 82.3% in the 3rd quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 4,515 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 2,038 shares during the period. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in KLA in the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of KLA during the 3rd quarter worth about $53,000. Finally, Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of KLA during the 3rd quarter worth about $56,000. 86.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

KLA Trading Up 1.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ KLAC traded up $10.05 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $712.97. The stock had a trading volume of 727,469 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,267,999. KLA Co. has a fifty-two week low of $581.70 and a fifty-two week high of $896.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a current ratio of 2.13. The business's 50-day moving average price is $669.84 and its 200-day moving average price is $718.54. The company has a market cap of $95.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.56, a PEG ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.27.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The semiconductor company reported $7.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.03 by $0.30. The business had revenue of $2.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $5.74 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that KLA Co. will post 30.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were given a $1.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.95%. This is a positive change from KLA's previous quarterly dividend of $1.45. KLA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.05%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KLAC has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a "neutral" rating and set a $925.00 price target on shares of KLA in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. StockNews.com cut shares of KLA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on shares of KLA from $890.00 to $750.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. UBS Group boosted their target price on KLA from $665.00 to $780.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on KLA from $800.00 to $795.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $812.47.

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.