KLA Corporation $KLAC Stock Sold by TD Waterhouse Canada Inc.

TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. trimmed its stake in KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 41.9% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 327,562 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 236,638 shares during the period. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc.’s holdings in KLA were worth $65,647,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of KLAC. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in KLA by 928.9% during the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 14,821,622 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $4,471,832,000 after buying an additional 13,381,153 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in shares of KLA in the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,522,430,000. National Pension Service grew its position in shares of KLA by 899.4% in the 2nd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 3,634,859 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,096,673,000 after buying an additional 3,271,158 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in shares of KLA by 239.3% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 5,614,990 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,094,530,000 after purchasing an additional 3,959,927 shares during the period. Finally, NEOS Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of KLA by 987.0% in the 2nd quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC now owns 979,371 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $295,486,000 after purchasing an additional 889,269 shares during the last quarter. 86.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $260.00 price objective (up from $200.00) on shares of KLA in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $230.00 target price on shares of KLA in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of KLA from $215.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, September 1st. Bank of America increased their price target on KLA from $210.00 to $317.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $210.00 price objective (up from $200.00) on shares of KLA in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Eighteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, KLA has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $221.26.

Insider Activity at KLA

In related news, CAO Virendra Kirloskar sold 4,504 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.50, for a total value of $880,532.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 7,972 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,558,526. The trade was a 36.10% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP MaryBeth Wilkinson sold 13,802 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.50, for a total value of $2,698,291.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 22,110 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,322,505. This trade represents a 38.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 243,339 shares of company stock worth $46,903,454 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 79.39% of the company’s stock.

KLA Stock Down 5.0%

Shares of KLA stock traded down $8.72 during trading on Friday, reaching $165.74. 13,108,207 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 9,441,942. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 2.88 and a quick ratio of 2.03. KLA Corporation has a 1-year low of $107.20 and a 1-year high of $307.37. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $186.66 and a 200-day moving average price of $196.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $216.29 billion, a PE ratio of 45.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.45.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The semiconductor company reported $1.05 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.00 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $3.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.61 billion. KLA had a net margin of 35.57% and a return on equity of 87.66%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 15.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.94 earnings per share. KLA has set its Q1 2027 guidance at 1.060-1.260 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that KLA Corporation will post 5.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 17th were given a dividend of $0.23 per share. This is a boost from KLA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 17th. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. KLA’s payout ratio is currently 25.07%.

About KLA

KLA Corporation (NASDAQ: KLAC) develops process-control and yield-management solutions used by semiconductor and electronics manufacturers. Its systems help customers detect defects, measure and analyze materials and structures, and monitor manufacturing processes throughout the production of integrated circuits and other advanced electronic components.

The company’s product portfolio includes inspection and metrology systems, wafer and reticle inspection equipment, process-control software, data analytics tools, and related services.