KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) Position Increased by Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt

Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt raised its stake in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 0.7% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 17,183 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after acquiring an additional 122 shares during the quarter. KLA comprises 1.0% of Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt’s holdings in KLA were worth $9,988,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. State of Michigan Retirement System grew its position in shares of KLA by 5.9% in the fourth quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 39,668 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $23,059,000 after purchasing an additional 2,200 shares during the last quarter. Chico Wealth RIA grew its position in shares of KLA by 287.0% in the fourth quarter. Chico Wealth RIA now owns 3,870 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,250,000 after purchasing an additional 2,870 shares during the last quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC grew its position in shares of KLA by 48.7% in the fourth quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC now owns 43,484 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $25,277,000 after purchasing an additional 14,251 shares during the last quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of KLA in the fourth quarter valued at about $4,754,000. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC grew its position in shares of KLA by 58.3% in the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 64,156 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $37,294,000 after purchasing an additional 23,635 shares during the last quarter. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KLAC has been the topic of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on KLA from $565.00 to $725.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Susquehanna reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $675.00 target price on shares of KLA in a research report on Monday, April 1st. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their target price on KLA from $625.00 to $800.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, April 8th. UBS Group lifted their target price on KLA from $605.00 to $760.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on KLA from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $688.42.

KLA Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:KLAC traded down $34.33 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $658.98. The stock had a trading volume of 1,193,125 shares, compared to its average volume of 962,308. KLA Co. has a 52 week low of $355.88 and a 52 week high of $729.15. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $683.11 and its 200 day moving average price is $590.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69, a current ratio of 1.91 and a quick ratio of 1.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $89.11 billion, a PE ratio of 35.21, a P/E/G ratio of 3.31 and a beta of 1.34.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The semiconductor company reported $6.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.91 by $0.25. KLA had a net margin of 27.98% and a return on equity of 107.56%. The company had revenue of $2.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.46 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $7.38 earnings per share. KLA’s quarterly revenue was down 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that KLA Co. will post 22.65 earnings per share for the current year.

KLA Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 19th were paid a $1.45 dividend. This represents a $5.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.88%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 15th. KLA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.46%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 7,018 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $705.04, for a total value of $4,947,970.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 32,375 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,825,670. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other KLA news, EVP Oreste Donzella sold 3,257 shares of KLA stock in a transaction on Monday, March 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $697.85, for a total transaction of $2,272,897.45. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 16,922 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,809,017.70. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 7,018 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $705.04, for a total transaction of $4,947,970.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 32,375 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,825,670. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

KLA Company Profile

KLA Corporation designs, manufactures, and markets 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, Display and Component Inspection.