KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) PT Raised to $698.00 at Morgan Stanley

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) had its target price increased by Morgan Stanley from $692.00 to $698.00 in a research report released on Friday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an equal weight rating on the semiconductor company’s stock.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a hold rating on shares of KLA in a research report on Friday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on KLA in a report on Thursday, April 11th. They set a buy rating and a $800.00 price target on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price target on KLA from $625.00 to $800.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Monday, April 8th. Raymond James reissued an outperform rating and set a $750.00 price target (up from $625.00) on shares of KLA in a report on Friday. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price target on KLA from $650.00 to $700.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a report on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $722.26.

KLA Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ KLAC opened at $713.93 on Friday. KLA has a 1-year low of $369.66 and a 1-year high of $729.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90, a current ratio of 2.14 and a quick ratio of 1.46. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $686.46 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $603.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $96.54 billion, a PE ratio of 37.40, a P/E/G ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 1.34.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The semiconductor company reported $5.26 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.94 by $0.32. KLA had a return on equity of 102.37% and a net margin of 27.19%. The firm had revenue of $2.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.31 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $5.49 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that KLA will post 22.61 EPS for the current year.

KLA Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 19th were given a $1.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 15th. This represents a $5.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.81%. KLA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.38%.

Insider Activity at KLA

In related news, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 7,018 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $705.04, for a total value of $4,947,970.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 32,375 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,825,670. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 7,018 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $705.04, for a total value of $4,947,970.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 32,375 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,825,670. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Oreste Donzella sold 3,257 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $697.85, for a total value of $2,272,897.45. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 16,922 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,809,017.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On KLA

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of KLAC. Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new stake in shares of KLA during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in KLA in the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Operose Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of KLA during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of KLA during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, DSM Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of KLA in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

About KLA

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.