5,964 KLA Corporation $KLAC Shares Sold by Valley National Advisers Inc.

Valley National Advisers Inc. trimmed its position in shares of KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 16.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 30,009 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 5,964 shares during the period. Valley National Advisers Inc.’s holdings in KLA were worth $5,850,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in KLA by 928.9% in the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 14,821,622 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $4,471,832,000 after purchasing an additional 13,381,153 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in shares of KLA during the 2nd quarter worth about $2,522,430,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its stake in shares of KLA by 239.3% during 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 in the last quarter. National Pension Service lifted its holdings in shares of KLA by 899.4% during 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. Finally, NEOS Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of KLA by 987.0% during the 2nd quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC now owns 979,371 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $295,486,000 after buying an additional 889,269 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP MaryBeth Wilkinson sold 13,802 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Brian Lorig sold 59,586 shares of KLA stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $208.13, for a total transaction of $12,401,634.18. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 77,681 shares in the company, valued at $16,167,746.53. This trade represents a 43.41% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 243,339 shares of company stock valued at $46,903,454 in the last quarter. 79.39% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on KLAC shares. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $270.00 price target on shares of KLA in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $180.00 target price (up from $170.00) on shares of KLA in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Morgan Stanley set a $227.00 target price on shares of KLA and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and set a $325.00 price target on shares of KLA in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating and set a $225.00 price target on shares of KLA in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Nineteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, KLA currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $221.26.

KLA Stock Down 1.5%

Shares of KLAC stock opened at $145.61 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $182.06 and its 200 day simple moving average is $196.95. KLA Corporation has a twelve month low of $107.20 and a twelve month high of $307.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 2.03 and a current ratio of 2.88. The company has a market capitalization of $190.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.71, a PEG ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.45.

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

KLA Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 17th were paid a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date 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 0.6%. KLA’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.07%.

About KLA

KLA Corporation (NASDAQ: KLAC) develops process control, inspection and yield management solutions for the semiconductor and other advanced manufacturing industries. Its technologies help manufacturers identify defects, measure critical dimensions and monitor production processes to improve quality, reliability and manufacturing efficiency.

The company’s product portfolio includes wafer and reticle inspection systems, metrology and measurement tools, defect review and classification systems, and software for analyzing manufacturing data.