KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-two research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $805.29.

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Susquehanna reduced their price target on shares of KLA from $730.00 to $680.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of KLA from $735.00 to $838.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of KLA from $765.00 to $800.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of KLA from $800.00 to $900.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $950.00 price objective on shares of KLA in a report on Thursday, July 25th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 17,437 shares of KLA stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 6th. The shares were 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 owns 105,329 shares in the company, valued at $74,257,998.29. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 17,437 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $705.01, for a total value of $12,293,259.37. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 105,329 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $74,257,998.29. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Brian Lorig sold 44 shares of KLA stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $819.40, for a total transaction of $36,053.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,211 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,644,493.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 20,917 shares of company stock worth $14,568,247. Company insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. lifted its position in shares of KLA by 21.4% during the fourth quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. now owns 5,627 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $3,271,000 after purchasing an additional 991 shares during the last quarter. Addison Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of KLA during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Valmark Advisers Inc. lifted its position in shares of KLA by 25.6% during the fourth quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 643 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $374,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its position in shares of KLA by 25.1% during the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 40,469 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $23,572,000 after purchasing an additional 8,110 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Intact Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of KLA by 7.4% during the fourth quarter. Intact Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,450 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $843,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. 86.65% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

KLA Stock Up 3.0 %

KLA stock opened at $819.43 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $803.10 and a 200-day moving average of $748.09. The company has a quick ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 2.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $110.33 billion, a PE ratio of 42.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.27. KLA has a twelve month low of $440.15 and a twelve month high of $896.32.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The semiconductor company reported $6.60 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.15 by $0.45. KLA had a net margin of 28.15% and a return on equity of 103.50%. The company had revenue of $2.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.52 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $5.40 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that KLA will post 29.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

KLA Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.45 per share. This represents a $5.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.71%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 15th. KLA’s payout ratio is 30.38%.

KLA Company 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.