Trexquant Investment LP Sells 13,577 Shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Trexquant Investment LP lessened its holdings in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 62.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,217 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 13,577 shares during the period. Trexquant Investment LP’s holdings in KLA were worth $4,777,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new stake in KLA during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Addison Advisors LLC bought a new stake in KLA in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Operose Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of KLA during the third quarter worth $26,000. AdvisorNet Financial Inc lifted its position in shares of KLA by 29.3% during the fourth quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 75 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Anchor Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of KLA during the fourth quarter worth $51,000. 86.65% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

KLA Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of NASDAQ:KLAC opened at $771.71 on Thursday. KLA Co. has a 12-month low of $404.80 and a 12-month high of $778.43. The company has a market capitalization of $103.90 billion, a PE ratio of 40.42, a PEG ratio of 3.66 and a beta of 1.33. The business has a 50 day moving average of $698.44 and a two-hundred day moving average of $632.03. The company has a current ratio of 2.14, a quick ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last announced 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. The business had revenue of $2.36 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.31 billion. KLA had a return on equity of 102.37% and a net margin of 27.19%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $5.49 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that KLA Co. will post 23.3 EPS for the current year.

KLA Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.45 per share. This represents a $5.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.75%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 14th. KLA’s payout ratio is 30.38%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on KLAC shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on KLA from $692.00 to $698.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on KLA from $685.00 to $760.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on KLA from $565.00 to $725.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of KLA in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on KLA from $560.00 to $640.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, KLA currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $727.15.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 7,018 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $705.04, for a total transaction of $4,947,970.72. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 32,375 shares in the company, valued at $22,825,670. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, EVP Oreste Donzella sold 3,257 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 16,922 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,809,017.70. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 7,018 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 32,375 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,825,670. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 24,284 shares of company stock worth $17,260,138. 0.12% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.