Capital Group Private Client Services Inc. Sells 7,876 Shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Capital Group Private Client Services Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 4.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 173,818 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 7,876 shares during the period. KLA accounts for about 1.0% of Capital Group Private Client Services Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. Capital Group Private Client Services Inc. owned 0.13% of KLA worth $109,526,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Tortoise Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of KLA by 300.0% during the 4th quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 48 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the period. TCTC Holdings LLC acquired a new stake in KLA in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of KLA during the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD grew its stake in shares of KLA by 160.0% in the 4th quarter. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD now owns 65 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. Finally, Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA bought a new stake in KLA in the 4th quarter valued at about $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

KLA Trading Down 1.2 %

Shares of KLAC stock opened at $634.43 on Friday. KLA Co. has a 12-month low of $551.33 and a 12-month high of $896.32. The company has a quick ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 2.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The company has a 50 day moving average of $697.62 and a 200-day moving average of $691.75. The firm has a market cap of $84.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.68, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.37.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a dividend of $1.70 per share. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. KLA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.60%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 7,008 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $724.62, for a total transaction of $5,078,136.96. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 28,798 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,867,606.76. This represents a 19.57 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on KLA from $759.00 to $864.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price objective on shares of KLA from $800.00 to $875.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on shares of KLA from $825.00 to $750.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Needham & Company LLC increased their price objective on KLA from $800.00 to $830.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Susquehanna lifted their target price on KLA from $620.00 to $655.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, KLA presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $814.11.

About KLA

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.