KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) Shares Sold by Avitas Wealth Management LLC

Avitas Wealth Management LLC lowered its position in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 0.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,977 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 15 shares during the quarter. Avitas Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in KLA were worth $1,876,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in KLAC. State Street Corp raised its stake in KLA by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,979,293 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $4,630,424,000 after purchasing an additional 145,317 shares during the last quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC raised its position in shares of KLA by 32,828.8% in the third quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 3,419,000 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,647,708,000 after buying an additional 3,408,617 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of KLA by 3.0% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,221,694 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $2,487,971,000 after buying an additional 93,743 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its position in KLA by 25.7% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,399,367 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,083,684,000 after acquiring an additional 286,015 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alkeon Capital Management LLC grew its stake in KLA by 5.5% during the 3rd quarter. Alkeon Capital Management LLC now owns 945,835 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $732,464,000 after acquiring an additional 49,470 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

KLA Price Performance

KLAC stock opened at $749.32 on Wednesday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $677.87 and its 200 day moving average price is $716.00. KLA Co. has a 12-month low of $595.86 and a 12-month high of $896.32. The company has a current ratio of 2.36, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The company has a market capitalization of $100.23 billion, a PE ratio of 31.51, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.28.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.73 by $0.47. KLA had a net margin of 29.58% and a return on equity of 108.60%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that KLA Co. will post 30.8 EPS for the current year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were given a $1.70 dividend. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.91%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This is a boost from KLA’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.45. KLA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.60%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KLAC has been the topic of several recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on KLA from $759.00 to $864.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Susquehanna upped their target price on KLA from $620.00 to $655.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. UBS Group lifted their price target on KLA from $665.00 to $780.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Needham & Company LLC boosted their price target on shares of KLA from $800.00 to $830.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of KLA from $703.00 to $748.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $831.68.

KLA 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.