KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) Shares Sold by Martingale Asset Management L P

Martingale Asset Management L P lowered its stake in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) by 84.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 668 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after selling 3,716 shares during the quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P's holdings in KLA were worth $421,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Hutchens & Kramer Investment Management Group LLC increased its stake in shares of KLA by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Hutchens & Kramer Investment Management Group LLC now owns 411 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $259,000 after purchasing an additional 13 shares in the last quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. grew its stake 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 buying an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. raised its stake in KLA by 6.5% during the fourth quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 246 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $155,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC boosted its holdings in KLA by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC now owns 755 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $476,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TFB Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in KLA by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. TFB Advisors LLC now owns 489 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $308,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

KLA Stock Down 1.2 %

KLA stock traded down $7.76 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $634.43. 1,224,102 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,058,435. The firm has a market cap of $84.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.68, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a current ratio of 2.36. KLA Co. has a 12-month low of $551.33 and a 12-month high of $896.32. The business has a fifty day moving average of $695.14 and a 200 day moving average of $690.92.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. Research analysts anticipate that KLA Co. will post 31.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

KLA Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at KLA

In other KLA news, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 7,008 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $724.62, for a total value of $5,078,136.96. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 28,798 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $20,867,606.76. This trade represents a 19.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.12% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have issued reports on KLAC. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "hold" rating and issued a $725.00 target price (down from $875.00) on shares of KLA in a report on Friday, March 28th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of KLA from $825.00 to $750.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price objective on KLA from $800.00 to $875.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of KLA from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $748.00 to $870.00 in a research report on Monday, March 31st. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on KLA from $700.00 to $760.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $814.11.

KLA 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.