KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) Shares Sold by China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd.

China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. trimmed its position in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 32.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,307 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 3,078 shares during the quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in KLA were worth $3,974,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of KLAC. Algert Global LLC purchased a new stake in KLA during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $239,000. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its position in shares of KLA by 5.0% during the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 27,178 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $22,409,000 after acquiring an additional 1,300 shares during the period. Czech National Bank raised its stake in shares of KLA by 6.7% in the third quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 27,383 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $21,206,000 after acquiring an additional 1,726 shares in the last quarter. HBW Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in KLA by 42.5% during the 3rd quarter. HBW Advisory Services LLC now owns 781 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $605,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quent Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of KLA by 294.3% during the third quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 138 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $107,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. 86.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

KLA Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ KLAC opened at $738.24 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $673.99 and a 200 day moving average price of $718.67. KLA Co. has a 1-year low of $581.70 and a 1-year high of $896.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65, a current ratio of 2.13 and a quick ratio of 1.48. The company has a market cap of $98.75 billion, a PE ratio of 33.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.27.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.20 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.73 by $0.47. KLA had a net margin of 28.92% and a return on equity of 105.16%. Sell-side analysts forecast that KLA Co. will post 30.34 EPS for the current year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a $1.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.92%. This is an increase from KLA’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.45. KLA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.05%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

KLAC has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price objective on KLA from $800.00 to $875.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of KLA from $795.00 to $870.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of KLA from $759.00 to $864.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. StockNews.com downgraded shares of KLA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Finally, Susquehanna lifted their price target on shares of KLA from $620.00 to $655.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, KLA presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $829.32.

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.