KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) Stock Position Lifted by River Global Investors LLP

River Global Investors LLP lifted its stake in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 3.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 24,504 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after purchasing an additional 812 shares during the quarter. KLA comprises about 3.0% of River Global Investors LLP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest holding. River Global Investors LLP’s holdings in KLA were worth $15,443,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of KLA during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new position in KLA during the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Groupama Asset Managment grew its holdings in KLA by 82.3% during the third quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 4,515 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 2,038 shares during the period. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in KLA in the third quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA acquired a new stake in KLA in the 4th quarter valued at about $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

KLA Trading Up 2.8 %

KLA stock opened at $711.29 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 2.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. KLA Co. has a 12 month low of $609.40 and a 12 month high of $896.32. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $722.21 and its 200-day simple moving average is $711.55. The stock has a market cap of $94.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.91, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.30.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.20 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that KLA Co. will post 31.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

KLA Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a dividend of $1.70 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.96%. KLA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.60%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KLAC has been the topic of a number of research reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of KLA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Barclays upped their price target on KLA from $700.00 to $760.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Susquehanna raised their price objective on KLA from $620.00 to $655.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Needham & Company LLC boosted their target price on KLA from $800.00 to $830.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald upped their target price on KLA from $800.00 to $875.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $831.68.

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.