StoneX Group Inc. Acquires 4,129 Shares of KLA Corporation $KLAC

StoneX Group Inc. raised its holdings in KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 49.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 12,560 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,129 shares during the quarter. StoneX Group Inc.’s holdings in KLA were worth $2,414,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of KLAC. McIlrath & Eck LLC lifted its stake in shares of KLA by 6.8% in the 1st quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 94 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $139,000 after purchasing an additional 6 shares during the period. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its stake in shares of KLA by 36.4% during the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 60 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $88,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares during the period. Capital Advisors Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of KLA by 2.2% during the third 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. Venture Visionary Partners LLC increased its holdings in KLA by 3.7% in the third quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC now owns 1,923 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $375,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bullock Wealth Management Group increased its holdings in KLA by 3.1% in the third quarter. Bullock Wealth Management Group now owns 2,365 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $474,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Brian Lorig sold 59,586 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 77,681 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,167,746.53. This represents a 43.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 72,019 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.88, for a total value of $12,378,625.72. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 706,925 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $121,506,269. The trade was a 9.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 219,173 shares of company stock worth $42,201,914 in the last three months. Company insiders own 79.39% of the company’s stock.

KLA Price Performance

NASDAQ:KLAC opened at $138.49 on Monday. KLA Corporation has a 1 year low of $107.20 and a 1 year high of $307.37. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $174.83 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $181.68. The stock has a market cap of $180.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.62, a PEG ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.49. The company has a current ratio of 2.76, a quick ratio of 1.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The semiconductor company reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.18 by $0.04. KLA had a return on equity of 89.30% and a net margin of 36.25%. The company had revenue of $4.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $8.47 earnings per share. KLA’s revenue was up 28.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that KLA Corporation will post 5.73 earnings per share for the current year.

KLA Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 16th. KLA’s dividend payout ratio is 23.00%.

Trending Headlines about KLA

Here are the key news stories impacting KLA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: KLA declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.23 per share, payable December 1 to shareholders of record November 16. The dividend provides a modest return to shareholders. KLA Declares Regular Cash Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: A bullish analysis highlights KLA’s strong quarterly results, AI-related demand, expanding margins, and upbeat guidance, including projected year-over-year revenue growth of 43% and EPS growth above 60% in the next quarter. KLA: Unfairly Caught Up In The Tech Carnage
• Positive Sentiment: Exchange-traded funds bought $52.3 million of KLAC shares on November 3, indicating institutional fund demand. ETFs Bought $52.3 Million of KLAC
• Neutral Sentiment: A report on a $17 billion hedge fund returning cash after a poor month discusses ownership and positioning in AI-chip stocks, including KLA. It may contribute to volatility, but does not by itself establish a change in KLA’s business outlook. Hedge Fund Returns Cash After Worst Month Since 2020
• Negative Sentiment: Unusually high put-option buying suggests some investors are hedging against, or betting on, downside in KLAC, a potentially bearish near-term signal. KLA Stock Sees Unusually High Put Option Buying

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on KLAC. Stifel Nicolaus set a $230.00 target price on KLA and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $225.00 price target on shares of KLA in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on KLA from $238.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $200.00 price target (down from $270.00) on shares of KLA in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of KLA from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, October 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, KLA presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $220.35.

KLA Company Profile

KLA Corporation develops process-control and yield-management technologies used in the manufacture of semiconductors and other electronic products. Its systems help manufacturers detect defects, measure features and monitor production processes as they make increasingly complex devices.

The company’s products include inspection and metrology equipment, as well as software and related services. Its technologies support multiple stages of semiconductor production, from work on wafers and reticles to advanced packaging.