Handelsbanken Fonder AB Increases Stake in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its stake in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 2.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 59,028 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,551 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in KLA were worth $45,712,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Quent Capital LLC grew its position in KLA by 294.3% during the third quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 138 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $107,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the period. HBW Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of KLA by 42.5% in the 3rd quarter. HBW Advisory Services LLC now owns 781 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $605,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares in the last quarter. Czech National Bank grew its holdings in shares of KLA by 6.7% during the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 27,383 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $21,206,000 after purchasing an additional 1,726 shares during the period. American National Bank & Trust increased its position in KLA by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. American National Bank & Trust now owns 11,997 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $9,291,000 after purchasing an additional 318 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund raised its holdings in KLA by 41,062.2% in the second quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 99,201 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $81,792,000 after buying an additional 98,960 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at KLA

In other KLA news, CAO Virendra A. Kirloskar sold 825 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $649.84, for a total value of $536,118.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 4,231 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,749,473.04. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other news, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 17,437 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $705.01, for a total transaction of $12,293,259.37. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 105,329 shares in the company, valued at approximately $74,257,998.29. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Virendra A. Kirloskar sold 825 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 4,231 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,749,473.04. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 20,873 shares of company stock valued at $14,532,193 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

KLA Stock Up 1.7 %

NASDAQ:KLAC traded up $12.83 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $787.39. The stock had a trading volume of 757,463 shares, compared to its average volume of 926,023. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $768.54 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $760.59. KLA Co. has a 1-year low of $449.35 and a 1-year high of $896.32. The company has a market capitalization of $106.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.27. 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 results on Wednesday, July 24th. The semiconductor company reported $6.60 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.15 by $0.45. KLA had a return on equity of 103.50% and a net margin of 28.15%. The business had revenue of $2.57 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.52 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $5.40 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that KLA Co. will post 29.09 EPS for the current year.

KLA Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 15th were issued a $1.45 dividend. This represents a $5.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 15th. KLA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.38%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KLAC has been the subject of several recent research reports. StockNews.com lowered shares of KLA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of KLA from $960.00 to $900.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Cantor Fitzgerald cut their price objective on KLA from $950.00 to $925.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on KLA from $800.00 to $950.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their target price on KLA from $900.00 to $765.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 12th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $804.81.

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.