Shoker Investment Counsel Inc. Acquires 66 Shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Shoker Investment Counsel Inc. raised its holdings in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 1.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 6,935 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. KLA accounts for 1.5% of Shoker Investment Counsel Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest position. Shoker Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in KLA were worth $4,370,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Hutchens & Kramer Investment Management Group LLC increased its position in KLA by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Hutchens & Kramer Investment Management Group LLC now owns 411 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $259,000 after buying an additional 13 shares in the last quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings in shares of KLA by 5.9% during the fourth quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 253 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $160,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of KLA by 6.5% during the fourth quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 246 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $155,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC raised its position in shares of KLA by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC now owns 755 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $476,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in KLA by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 1,433 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,110,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

KLA Price Performance

Shares of KLA stock opened at $699.16 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $715.28 and its 200 day moving average is $715.74. KLA Co. has a one year low of $609.40 and a one year high of $896.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a current ratio of 2.36. The stock has a market cap of $92.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.28.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.20 earnings per share 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%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that KLA Co. will post 31.59 earnings per share for the current year.

KLA Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.97%. KLA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.60%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of KLA from $665.00 to $780.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Morgan Stanley raised 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. Barclays upped their price objective on KLA from $700.00 to $760.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Susquehanna lifted their target price on KLA from $620.00 to $655.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on KLA from $795.00 to $870.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, KLA has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.