Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV Increases Stake in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV increased its holdings in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 1.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 6,758 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the period. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV’s holdings in KLA were worth $4,259,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of KLA by 7.7% in the 4th quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,041 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $656,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. GFG Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of KLA by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. GFG Capital LLC now owns 8,806 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $5,549,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Campbell Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of KLA in the 4th quarter valued at $213,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of KLA by 8.8% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 1,547 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $975,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC boosted its position in KLA by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 711 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $448,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

KLA Stock Down 1.8 %

Shares of KLA stock opened at $750.74 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 2.36 and a quick ratio of 1.63. The company has a 50-day moving average of $695.06 and a 200 day moving average of $715.48. The firm has a market cap of $99.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.57, a PEG ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.28. KLA Co. has a 1 year low of $609.40 and a 1 year high of $896.32.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.73 by $0.47. KLA had a net margin of 29.58% and a return on equity of 108.60%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that KLA Co. will post 31.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

KLA Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th will be paid a $1.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 24th. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.91%. KLA’s payout ratio is 28.60%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KLAC has been the subject of several analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price target on shares of KLA from $800.00 to $875.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of KLA from $703.00 to $748.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of KLA from $665.00 to $780.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. TD Cowen dropped their price target on shares of KLA from $760.00 to $725.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of KLA from $795.00 to $870.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $831.68.

KLA Company 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.