KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-one analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and thirteen have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $812.80.

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on KLAC shares. UBS Group lowered their price target on KLA from $900.00 to $765.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, September 12th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating and set a $950.00 price target on shares of KLA in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. StockNews.com lowered KLA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of KLA from $765.00 to $800.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on KLA from $760.00 to $875.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 16th.

KLA Price Performance

KLAC opened at $772.43 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $104.00 billion, a PE ratio of 40.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.28. The business’s 50-day moving average is $774.96 and its two-hundred day moving average is $754.38. KLA has a 1 year low of $440.15 and a 1 year high of $896.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 2.15 and a quick ratio of 1.50.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The semiconductor company reported $6.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.15 by $0.45. KLA had a net margin of 28.15% and a return on equity of 103.50%. The firm had revenue of $2.57 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.52 billion. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $5.40 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that KLA will post 29.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

KLA Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 15th were paid a dividend of $1.45 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 15th. This represents a $5.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.75%. KLA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.38%.

Insider Activity

In other KLA news, EVP Brian Lorig sold 44 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $819.40, for a total value of $36,053.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 14,211 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,644,493.40. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, EVP Brian Lorig sold 44 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $819.40, for a total transaction of $36,053.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 14,211 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,644,493.40. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Virendra A. Kirloskar sold 825 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $649.84, for a total transaction of $536,118.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 4,231 shares in the company, valued at $2,749,473.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 20,917 shares of company stock worth $14,568,247 over the last quarter. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of KLA

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. APG Asset Management US Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of KLA in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $15,781,000. Grayhawk Investment Strategies Inc. acquired a new stake in KLA during the fourth quarter worth $1,050,000. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board raised its position in KLA by 22.3% in the first quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board now owns 8,780 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $6,133,000 after purchasing an additional 1,600 shares during the period. Norden Group LLC raised its position in KLA by 1,579.3% in the first quarter. Norden Group LLC now owns 6,566 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $4,589,000 after purchasing an additional 6,175 shares during the period. Finally, Objective Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of KLA in the 4th quarter valued at $213,000. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.