Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. Trims Position in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. reduced its holdings in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 12.6% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 103,385 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 14,941 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.’s holdings in KLA were worth $65,145,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Orca Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in KLA during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $203,000. BSW Wealth Partners increased its stake in KLA by 8.4% in the 4th quarter. BSW Wealth Partners now owns 387 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $244,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Bensler LLC boosted its position in shares of KLA by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Bensler LLC now owns 18,958 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $11,946,000 after acquiring an additional 649 shares during the last quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of KLA by 204.7% in the 4th quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,287 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $3,331,000 after buying an additional 3,552 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hutchens & Kramer Investment Management Group LLC increased its stake in KLA by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Hutchens & Kramer Investment Management Group LLC now owns 411 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $259,000 after acquiring an additional 13 shares during the last quarter. 86.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

KLA Stock Up 1.4 %

KLAC stock opened at $712.97 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $95.37 billion, a PE ratio of 32.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.27. KLA Co. has a one year low of $581.70 and a one year high of $896.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a current ratio of 2.13. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $669.84 and its 200 day moving average is $718.54.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The semiconductor company reported $7.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.03 by $0.30. The business had revenue of $2.84 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.75 billion. KLA had a net margin of 28.92% and a return on equity of 105.16%. The company’s revenue was up 18.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $5.74 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that KLA Co. will post 30.34 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 paid a $1.70 dividend. This is an increase from KLA’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.45. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. KLA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.05%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of KLA from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $750.00 to $850.00 in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of KLA from $750.00 to $700.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. TD Cowen lowered their target price on KLA from $760.00 to $725.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $925.00 price target on shares of KLA in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC raised KLA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $750.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $812.47.

About KLA

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.