Stokes Capital Advisors LLC Acquires 15,606 Shares of KLA Corporation $KLAC

Stokes Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 1,177.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 16,931 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after purchasing an additional 15,606 shares during the period. Stokes Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in KLA were worth $3,300,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KLAC. Capital Advisors Wealth Management LLC grew its position in KLA by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Capital Advisors Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,656 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $518,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. Decker Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of KLA by 46.1% in the 3rd quarter. Decker Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,922 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $569,000 after buying an additional 922 shares during the period. Bullock Wealth Management Group boosted its stake in shares of KLA by 3.1% in the third quarter. Bullock Wealth Management Group now owns 2,365 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $474,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital boosted its stake in shares of KLA by 6.1% in the third quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 21,373 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $4,205,000 after buying an additional 1,237 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Journey Retirement Planning & Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in KLA during the third quarter worth about $336,000. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at KLA

In related news, EVP MaryBeth Wilkinson sold 13,802 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $195.50, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 38.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Virendra Kirloskar sold 4,504 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $195.50, for a total transaction of $880,532.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 7,972 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,558,526. This represents a 36.10% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 243,339 shares of company stock valued at $46,903,454 over the last ninety days. 79.39% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

KLA Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of NASDAQ KLAC opened at $195.57 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $255.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.45. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $188.04 and its 200-day simple moving average is $195.65. The company has a quick ratio of 2.03, a current ratio of 2.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. KLA Corporation has a 52-week low of $98.10 and a 52-week high of $307.37.

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

KLA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 17th were issued a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 17th. This is a positive change from KLA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. KLA’s payout ratio is currently 25.07%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KLAC has been the subject of several recent research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $225.00 price target on shares of KLA in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating and issued a $195.00 price objective (down from $220.00) on shares of KLA in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $325.00 price objective on shares of KLA in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $225.00 target price on shares of KLA in a report on Monday, July 20th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $230.00 price target on shares of KLA in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Eighteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $221.26.

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.