GAM Holding AG Trims Stake in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

GAM Holding AG trimmed its holdings in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 78.8% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 2,041 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 7,585 shares during the period. GAM Holding AG’s holdings in KLA were worth $1,286,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in KLA during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Groupama Asset Managment lifted its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 2,038 shares during the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in KLA during the third quarter worth about $38,000. Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA bought a new stake in KLA during the fourth quarter worth about $43,000. Finally, Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. bought a new stake in KLA during the fourth quarter worth about $47,000. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

KLA Trading Up 1.0 %

KLAC opened at $758.25 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $699.08 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $714.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $100.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.89, a PEG ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 2.36 and a quick ratio of 1.63. KLA Co. has a one year low of $609.40 and a one year high of $896.32.

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

KLA Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be issued a dividend of $1.70 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 24th. This represents a $6.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.90%. KLA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.60%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Oppenheimer raised KLA from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $750.00 to $850.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on KLA from $759.00 to $864.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on KLA from $703.00 to $748.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on KLA from $795.00 to $870.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, StockNews.com lowered KLA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.