KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) Shares Sold by Versant Capital Management Inc

Versant Capital Management Inc trimmed its holdings in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 6.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 308 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 21 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc’s holdings in KLA were worth $194,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of KLAC. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of KLA by 5.4% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 172,389 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $133,500,000 after purchasing an additional 8,830 shares during the last quarter. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas purchased a new stake in KLA in the 3rd quarter valued at $4,700,000. Tidal Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of KLA by 317.6% in the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 37,111 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $28,739,000 after acquiring an additional 28,224 shares during the last quarter. Optimist Retirement Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of KLA by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Optimist Retirement Group LLC now owns 3,017 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $2,337,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the period. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of KLA during the 3rd quarter valued at about $310,000. 86.65% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

KLA Stock Performance

Shares of KLA stock opened at $657.01 on Friday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $649.53 and a 200-day simple moving average of $734.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a current ratio of 2.13. KLA Co. has a one year low of $542.41 and a one year high of $896.32. The company has a market cap of $87.88 billion, a PE ratio of 30.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.27.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The semiconductor company reported $7.33 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.03 by $0.30. The company had revenue of $2.84 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.75 billion. KLA had a net margin of 28.92% and a return on equity of 105.16%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 18.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $5.74 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that KLA Co. will post 30.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a dividend of $1.70 per share. This represents a $6.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.03%. This is an increase from KLA’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.45. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. KLA’s payout ratio is 31.05%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KLAC has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of KLA from $746.00 to $703.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price target on shares of KLA from $890.00 to $750.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on KLA from $760.00 to $725.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. StockNews.com downgraded KLA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $925.00 price target on shares of KLA in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $816.63.

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.