Alpha Cubed Investments LLC Sells 15 Shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Alpha Cubed Investments LLC reduced its position in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 1.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 781 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 15 shares during the quarter. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC’s holdings in KLA were worth $492,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Zhang Financial LLC increased its holdings in KLA by 15.4% in the 4th quarter. Zhang Financial LLC now owns 4,036 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $2,543,000 after buying an additional 540 shares in the last quarter. Guinness Atkinson Asset Management Inc boosted its holdings in shares of KLA by 10.2% during the 4th quarter. Guinness Atkinson Asset Management Inc now owns 9,245 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $5,825,000 after acquiring an additional 856 shares during the last quarter. Guinness Asset Management LTD grew its stake in shares of KLA by 29.3% in the fourth quarter. Guinness Asset Management LTD now owns 56,744 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $35,757,000 after acquiring an additional 12,861 shares during the period. Diversify Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of KLA by 22.7% during the fourth quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 648 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $443,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. Finally, My Legacy Advisors LLC lifted its position in KLA by 9.9% during the fourth quarter. My Legacy Advisors LLC now owns 676 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $426,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. 86.65% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

KLA Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of KLAC opened at $767.24 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 2.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65. KLA Co. has a 52-week low of $581.70 and a 52-week high of $896.32. The company has a market cap of $102.63 billion, a PE ratio of 35.03, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.27. The business has a fifty day moving average of $656.82 and a 200 day moving average of $723.78.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The semiconductor company reported $7.33 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.03 by $0.30. KLA had a net margin of 28.92% and a return on equity of 105.16%. The firm had revenue of $2.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.75 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $5.74 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that KLA Co. will post 30.37 EPS for the current year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a $1.70 dividend. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.89%. This is an increase from KLA’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.45. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. KLA’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.05%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on KLAC shares. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of KLA from $746.00 to $703.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $925.00 price objective on shares of KLA in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Susquehanna lowered their target price on KLA from $680.00 to $675.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 11th. UBS Group boosted their price target on KLA from $665.00 to $780.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Needham & Company LLC upgraded shares of KLA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $750.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $807.35.

KLA Profile

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.