KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) Shares Sold by Eley Financial Management Inc

Eley Financial Management Inc lessened its stake in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 0.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,140 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 19 shares during the quarter. Eley Financial Management Inc’s holdings in KLA were worth $1,244,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. State of Michigan Retirement System increased its stake in KLA by 5.9% during 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 last quarter. Chico Wealth RIA grew its position in KLA by 287.0% in the 4th quarter. Chico Wealth RIA now owns 3,870 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,250,000 after acquiring an additional 2,870 shares in the last quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC lifted its position in shares of KLA by 48.7% during the fourth quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC now owns 43,484 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $25,277,000 after purchasing an additional 14,251 shares in the last quarter. Ninety One SA PTY Ltd lifted its holdings in KLA by 20.2% during the 4th quarter. Ninety One SA PTY Ltd now owns 15,620 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $9,080,000 after buying an additional 2,620 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Signaturefd LLC grew its stake in shares of KLA by 10.9% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,715 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $997,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at KLA

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of KLA in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $800.00 price objective on the stock. Berenberg Bank increased their target price on shares of KLA from $670.00 to $690.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on KLA in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $800.00 price target on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on KLA from $560.00 to $640.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on KLA from $760.00 to $805.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $703.42.

KLA Stock Up 4.8 %

NASDAQ:KLAC traded up $32.08 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $705.03. The stock had a trading volume of 432,017 shares, compared to its average volume of 952,622. The company has a market cap of $95.34 billion, a PE ratio of 35.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 1.34. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $684.51 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $598.13. KLA Co. has a 1-year low of $369.00 and a 1-year high of $729.15. The company has a current ratio of 1.91, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The semiconductor company reported $5.26 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.94 by $0.32. The firm had revenue of $2.36 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.31 billion. KLA had a net margin of 27.98% and a return on equity of 107.56%. The firm’s revenue was down 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $5.49 EPS. Analysts predict that KLA Co. will post 22.61 EPS for the current year.

KLA Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 19th were given a dividend of $1.45 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 15th. This represents a $5.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.82%. KLA’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.46%.

KLA 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.