Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. Sells 5,108 Shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. lessened its stake in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 6.5% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 73,979 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 5,108 shares during the period. Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S.’s holdings in KLA were worth $46,615,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of KLA in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in KLA by 300.0% during the 4th quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 48 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the period. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in KLA during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Groupama Asset Managment raised its holdings in KLA by 82.3% during the 3rd quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 4,515 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 2,038 shares during the period. Finally, Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD raised its holdings in KLA by 160.0% during the 4th quarter. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD now owns 65 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

KLA Stock Up 2.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ:KLAC opened at $680.39 on Thursday. KLA Co. has a 52-week low of $609.40 and a 52-week high of $896.32. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $724.79 and a 200 day moving average of $707.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $90.41 billion, a PE ratio of 28.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a current ratio of 2.36.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last announced its 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, research analysts anticipate that KLA Co. will post 31.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

KLA Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were given a dividend of $1.70 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.00%. KLA’s payout ratio is 28.60%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on shares of KLA from $725.00 to $850.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of KLA from $800.00 to $825.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Needham & Company LLC boosted their target price on shares of KLA from $800.00 to $830.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of KLA from $759.00 to $864.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of KLA from $795.00 to $870.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $831.68.

KLA 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.