KLCM Advisors Inc. Takes $218,000 Position in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

KLCM Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 375 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock, valued at approximately $218,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in KLAC. State of Michigan Retirement System lifted its stake in shares of KLA by 5.9% in the fourth quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 39,668 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $23,059,000 after acquiring an additional 2,200 shares during the period. Chico Wealth RIA lifted its stake in shares of KLA by 287.0% in the fourth quarter. Chico Wealth RIA now owns 3,870 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $2,250,000 after acquiring an additional 2,870 shares during the period. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of KLA by 48.7% in the fourth quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC now owns 43,484 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $25,277,000 after acquiring an additional 14,251 shares during the period. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of KLA in the fourth quarter worth approximately $4,754,000. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of KLA by 58.3% in the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 64,156 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $37,294,000 after acquiring an additional 23,635 shares during the period. 86.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on KLAC shares. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on KLA from $525.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Barclays boosted their price objective on KLA from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Evercore ISI began coverage on KLA in a report on Tuesday. They set an “outperform” rating and a $800.00 price target for the company. Berenberg Bank upped their price target on KLA from $670.00 to $690.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on KLA from $760.00 to $805.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, KLA has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $688.42.

KLA Stock Down 5.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ KLAC opened at $658.98 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $684.11 and its 200-day moving average price is $591.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $89.11 billion, a PE ratio of 33.47, a P/E/G ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69, a current ratio of 1.91 and a quick ratio of 1.25. KLA Co. has a one year low of $355.88 and a one year high of $729.15.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 25th. The semiconductor company reported $6.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.91 by $0.25. The business had revenue of $2.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.46 billion. KLA had a return on equity of 107.56% and a net margin of 27.98%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $7.38 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that KLA Co. will post 22.61 EPS for the current year.

KLA Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 19th were issued a $1.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 15th. This represents a $5.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.88%. KLA’s payout ratio is currently 29.46%.

Insider Buying and Selling at KLA

In other KLA news, EVP Oreste Donzella sold 3,257 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $697.85, for a total value of $2,272,897.45. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 16,922 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,809,017.70. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 7,018 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $705.04, for a total transaction of $4,947,970.72. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 32,375 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,825,670. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Oreste Donzella sold 3,257 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $697.85, for a total value of $2,272,897.45. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,922 shares in the company, valued at $11,809,017.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

KLA Company Profile

KLA Corporation designs, manufactures, and markets 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, Display and Component Inspection.