Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd Invests $942,000 in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 1,217 shares of the semiconductor company's stock, valued at approximately $942,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Family Firm Inc. acquired a new position in shares of KLA in the second quarter valued at $30,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of KLA in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in shares of KLA in the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of KLA during the 2nd quarter worth about $44,000. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of KLA during the 3rd quarter valued at about $53,000. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

KLA Stock Up 1.1 %

NASDAQ:KLAC traded up $7.16 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $653.76. 1,463,208 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 978,387. The stock has a market cap of $87.45 billion, a PE ratio of 29.78, a PEG ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.27. KLA Co. has a twelve month low of $542.41 and a twelve month high of $896.32. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $677.50 and a 200 day moving average of $750.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65, a current ratio of 2.13 and a quick ratio of 1.48.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The semiconductor company reported $7.33 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.03 by $0.30. KLA had a net margin of 28.92% and a return on equity of 105.16%. The business had revenue of $2.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.75 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $5.74 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 18.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that KLA Co. will post 30.61 earnings per share for the current year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a $1.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This is an increase from KLA's previous quarterly dividend of $1.45. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.04%. KLA's payout ratio is 31.05%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on KLAC shares. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of KLA from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $750.00 to $850.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Susquehanna reduced their price target on shares of KLA from $680.00 to $675.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of KLA from $960.00 to $900.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 16th. Barclays reduced their target price on KLA from $800.00 to $750.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on KLA from $746.00 to $703.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $812.30.

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.