Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC Boosts Holdings in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) by 104.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 141,068 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after purchasing an additional 71,906 shares during the quarter. KLA accounts for approximately 0.8% of Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest position. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC owned about 0.11% of KLA worth $109,244,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Swedbank AB raised its position in shares of KLA by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 550,949 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $426,660,000 after buying an additional 2,019 shares in the last quarter. Community Financial Services Group LLC raised its position in KLA by 538.5% during the third quarter. Community Financial Services Group LLC now owns 7,445 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $5,765,000 after purchasing an additional 6,279 shares in the last quarter. Eastern Bank lifted its stake in KLA by 655.8% during the third quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 27,368 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $21,194,000 after purchasing an additional 23,747 shares during the last quarter. ING Groep NV boosted its holdings in shares of KLA by 52.4% in the 3rd quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 79,763 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $61,769,000 after purchasing an additional 27,436 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its position in shares of KLA by 14.1% during the 3rd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 33,215 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $25,722,000 after purchasing an additional 4,112 shares during the last quarter. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on KLAC shares. TD Cowen cut their target price on KLA from $760.00 to $725.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. StockNews.com cut shares of KLA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $925.00 target price on shares of KLA in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of KLA from $870.00 to $800.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a "hold" rating on shares of KLA in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, KLA has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $812.30.

KLA Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of NASDAQ KLAC traded up $5.73 during trading on Friday, reaching $648.34. The company had a trading volume of 793,060 shares, compared to its average volume of 975,213. The business's 50-day moving average is $689.99 and its 200 day moving average is $755.21. The company has a quick ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 2.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65. The stock has a market cap of $86.72 billion, a PE ratio of 29.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.27. KLA Co. has a 12-month low of $530.07 and a 12-month high of $896.32.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The semiconductor company reported $7.33 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.03 by $0.30. The company had revenue of $2.84 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.75 billion. KLA had a net margin of 28.92% and a return on equity of 105.16%. KLA's revenue for the quarter was up 18.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $5.74 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that KLA Co. will post 30.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a $1.70 dividend. This is an increase from KLA's previous quarterly dividend of $1.45. This represents a $6.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.05%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. KLA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.05%.

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.