Kentucky Retirement Systems Has $8.37 Million Stock Holdings in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Kentucky Retirement Systems decreased its position in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 1.2% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,146 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 124 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems’ holdings in KLA were worth $8,365,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of KLAC. 9258 Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of KLA in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $210,000. Great Lakes Advisors LLC grew its position in KLA by 13.6% in the fourth quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 1,164 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $677,000 after acquiring an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of KLA during the 4th quarter worth $936,000. D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its holdings in shares of KLA by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 4,041 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,349,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of KLA by 9.1% in the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 40,048 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $23,279,000 after purchasing an additional 3,347 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

KLA Stock Performance

KLAC opened at $731.04 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $776.57 and its 200-day simple moving average is $754.25. The company has a current ratio of 2.15, a quick ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75. The stock has a market cap of $98.43 billion, a PE ratio of 38.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.28. KLA Co. has a 1 year low of $440.15 and a 1 year high of $896.32.

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

KLA Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 15th were paid a $1.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 15th. This represents a $5.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.79%. KLA’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.38%.

Insider Transactions at KLA

In related news, CAO Virendra A. Kirloskar sold 825 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $649.84, for a total value of $536,118.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 4,231 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,749,473.04. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, CAO Virendra A. Kirloskar sold 825 shares of KLA stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 5th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,749,473.04. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 17,437 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $705.01, for a total transaction of $12,293,259.37. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 105,329 shares in the company, valued at $74,257,998.29. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 20,917 shares of company stock valued at $14,568,247. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of KLA from $800.00 to $950.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on KLA from $735.00 to $838.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Citigroup reduced their target price on KLA from $960.00 to $900.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Raymond James increased their price target on KLA from $750.00 to $875.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, June 7th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $950.00 price objective on shares of KLA in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, KLA currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $812.80.

KLA 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.