Ninety One UK Ltd Has $39.26 Million Holdings in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Ninety One UK Ltd raised its holdings in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 4.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 62,305 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,906 shares during the period. Ninety One UK Ltd’s holdings in KLA were worth $39,260,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in KLA during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Groupama Asset Managment boosted its holdings in shares of KLA by 82.3% in the third quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 4,515 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 2,038 shares during the period. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in shares of KLA during the third quarter worth $38,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of KLA during the third quarter worth $53,000. Finally, Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in KLA in the 3rd quarter valued at $56,000. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

KLA Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of KLAC opened at $749.32 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $100.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a current ratio of 2.36. KLA Co. has a 52 week low of $595.86 and a 52 week high of $896.32. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $677.87 and its 200 day simple moving average is $716.00.

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

KLA Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their target price on KLA from $800.00 to $875.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Susquehanna lifted their target price on KLA from $620.00 to $655.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on KLA from $759.00 to $864.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com downgraded shares of KLA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of KLA from $800.00 to $825.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.