Analysts Set KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) PT at $805.29

Shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-two analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and fourteen have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $805.29.

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on KLAC shares. Barclays raised their price target on shares of KLA from $765.00 to $800.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on KLA in a research note on Monday, May 13th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $820.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup reduced their target price on KLA from $990.00 to $960.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 5th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on KLA from $700.00 to $760.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, Susquehanna reduced their price target on shares of KLA from $730.00 to $680.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 25th.

KLA Stock Down 2.3 %

Shares of KLA stock traded down $18.87 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $798.97. The company's stock had a trading volume of 778,200 shares, compared to its average volume of 928,935. The company has a market capitalization of $107.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.50 and a current ratio of 2.15. KLA has a one year low of $440.15 and a one year high of $896.32. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $806.90 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $742.98.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The semiconductor company reported $6.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.15 by $0.45. The company had revenue of $2.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.52 billion. KLA had a return on equity of 103.50% and a net margin of 28.15%. KLA's quarterly revenue was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $5.40 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that KLA will post 29.09 earnings per share for the current year.

KLA Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.45 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 15th. This represents a $5.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.73%. KLA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.38%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 17,437 shares of KLA stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $705.01, for a total value of $12,293,259.37. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 105,329 shares of the company's stock, valued at $74,257,998.29. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, EVP Mary Beth Wilkinson sold 2,611 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $652.17, for a total transaction of $1,702,815.87. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 9,298 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,063,876.66. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 17,437 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $705.01, for a total value of $12,293,259.37. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 105,329 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $74,257,998.29. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 20,917 shares of company stock valued at $14,568,247. Insiders own 0.12% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On KLA

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of KLA by 13.1% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 9,480 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $5,511,000 after purchasing an additional 1,096 shares in the last quarter. Intact Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of KLA by 7.4% in the 4th quarter. Intact Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,450 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $843,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft purchased a new position in shares of KLA in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $4,559,000. Principal Securities Inc. bought a new stake in shares of KLA during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $811,000. Finally, APG Asset Management US Inc. bought a new stake in shares of KLA during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $15,781,000. Institutional investors own 86.65% of the company's stock.

About KLA

KLA Corporation designs, manufactures, and markets 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, Display and Component Inspection.