KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) Shares Sold by Mathes Company Inc.

Mathes Company Inc. cut its position in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 3.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,165 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 190 shares during the quarter. KLA makes up 1.4% of Mathes Company Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest position. Mathes Company Inc.’s holdings in KLA were worth $3,885,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of KLAC. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of KLA during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Groupama Asset Managment grew its holdings in shares of KLA by 82.3% during the third quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 4,515 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 2,038 shares in the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of KLA during the third quarter worth about $38,000. Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA purchased a new stake in shares of KLA during the fourth quarter worth about $43,000. Finally, Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of KLA during the fourth quarter worth about $47,000. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on shares of KLA from $725.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of KLA from $703.00 to $748.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of KLA from $795.00 to $870.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of KLA from $700.00 to $760.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Oppenheimer upgraded shares of KLA from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $750.00 to $850.00 in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, KLA presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $831.68.

KLA Trading Down 1.8 %

NASDAQ KLAC opened at $750.74 on Monday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $697.11 and its 200-day simple moving average is $714.99. KLA Co. has a 52 week low of $609.40 and a 52 week high of $896.32. The company has a current ratio of 2.36, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The stock has a market cap of $99.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.57, a PEG ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.28.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.20 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.73 by $0.47. KLA had a net margin of 29.58% and a return on equity of 108.60%. Equities research analysts predict that KLA Co. will post 31.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

KLA Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be given a dividend of $1.70 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 24th. This represents a $6.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.91%. KLA’s payout ratio is currently 28.60%.

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.