Jefferies Financial Group Reiterates Hold Rating for KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC)

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "hold" rating reiterated by analysts at Jefferies Financial Group in a research note issued on Friday, MarketBeat reports. They currently have a $725.00 price target on the semiconductor company's stock, down from their previous price target of $875.00. Jefferies Financial Group's price target indicates a potential upside of 6.80% from the stock's previous close.

Several other equities analysts have also commented on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus upped 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. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price target on shares of KLA from $800.00 to $875.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group boosted their price objective on KLA from $665.00 to $780.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Needham & Company LLC raised their target price on KLA from $800.00 to $830.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Susquehanna boosted 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. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $832.17.

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KLA Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:KLAC traded down $0.97 during trading on Friday, reaching $678.83. 218,448 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,005,299. The stock has a market capitalization of $90.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.30. KLA has a 12 month low of $609.40 and a 12 month high of $896.32. The company has a 50 day moving average of $726.28 and a 200-day moving average of $702.34. 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 posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.20 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%. On average, equities analysts expect that KLA will post 31.59 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other KLA news, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 7,008 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $724.62, for a total transaction of $5,078,136.96. Following the sale, 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in KLAC. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in KLA during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of KLA by 300.0% in the fourth quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 48 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the period. TCTC Holdings LLC purchased a new position in shares of KLA during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in KLA during the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD lifted its stake in KLA by 160.0% in the 4th quarter. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD now owns 65 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. 86.65% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

KLA Company 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.