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

KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $830.67.

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on KLA from $703.00 to $748.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Susquehanna boosted their price target on KLA from $620.00 to $655.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of KLA from $800.00 to $825.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on KLA from $795.00 to $870.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on KLA from $700.00 to $760.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On KLA

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Hutchens & Kramer Investment Management Group LLC grew its stake in shares of KLA by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Hutchens & Kramer Investment Management Group LLC now owns 411 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $259,000 after purchasing an additional 13 shares during the period. Richardson Financial Services Inc. increased its position in KLA by 5.9% in the 4th quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 253 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $160,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. lifted its holdings in KLA by 6.5% during the 4th quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 246 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $155,000 after buying an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC increased its position in KLA by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC now owns 755 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $476,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the period. Finally, Anchor Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in KLA by 12.0% in the fourth quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 140 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $88,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

KLA Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:KLAC opened at $681.50 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $725.69 and its 200 day moving average price is $707.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $90.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 2.36 and a quick ratio of 1.63. KLA has a 12 month low of $609.40 and a 12 month high of $896.32.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.73 by $0.47. KLA had a return on equity of 108.60% and a net margin of 29.58%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that KLA will post 31.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

KLA Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were given a $1.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $6.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.00%. KLA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.60%.

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.