KLA Corporation $KLAC Stock Position Decreased by Aberdeen Group plc

Aberdeen Group plc reduced its holdings in shares of KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 11.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,013,226 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 130,436 shares during the period. Aberdeen Group plc’s holdings in KLA were worth $197,508,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. McIlrath & Eck LLC boosted its holdings in KLA by 6.8% in the first 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 position 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 buying an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. Capital Advisors Wealth Management LLC grew its position 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 buying an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of KLA by 3.7% during the third quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC now owns 1,923 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $375,000 after buying an additional 68 shares during the period. Finally, Bullock Wealth Management Group increased its stake in shares of KLA by 3.1% during 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 period. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at KLA

In other news, CEO Richard Wallace sold 72,019 shares of KLA stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.88, for a total value of $12,378,625.72. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 706,925 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $121,506,269. The trade was a 9.25% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 79.39% of the stock is owned by insiders.

KLA Price Performance

Shares of KLAC opened at $152.32 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 2.76 and a quick ratio of 1.86. KLA Corporation has a 1-year low of $107.20 and a 1-year high of $307.37. The stock has a market cap of $198.47 billion, a PE ratio of 38.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.49. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $172.99 and a 200 day moving average price of $181.71.

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

KLA Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 16th will be given a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 16th. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. KLA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 23.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Argus reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $225.00 price target on shares of KLA in a report on Friday, October 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald set a $240.00 price objective on shares of KLA and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of KLA from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $230.00 target price on shares of KLA in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Susquehanna cut their price target on KLA from $215.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.