AlphaQuest LLC Has $1.14 Million Stock Holdings in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

AlphaQuest LLC increased its position in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 40.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,810 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after buying an additional 517 shares during the quarter. AlphaQuest LLC’s holdings in KLA were worth $1,141,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in KLAC. Swedbank AB grew its position in KLA by 0.4% during the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 550,949 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $426,660,000 after buying an additional 2,019 shares in the last quarter. M&G PLC acquired a new stake in KLA during the third quarter valued at approximately $820,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in shares of KLA in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Equitable Trust Co. grew its stake in shares of KLA by 9.3% in the 3rd quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 1,119 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $867,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the period. Finally, CWA Asset Management Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of KLA in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $2,242,000. 86.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

KLA Stock Up 2.8 %

NASDAQ:KLAC opened at $711.29 on Monday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $722.21 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $710.04. KLA Co. has a 52-week low of $609.40 and a 52-week high of $896.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a current ratio of 2.36. The company has a market cap of $94.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.91, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.30.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, analysts anticipate that KLA Co. will post 31.59 EPS for the current year.

KLA Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a $1.70 dividend. This represents a $6.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. KLA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.60%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Susquehanna upped their price objective on KLA from $620.00 to $655.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on KLA from $800.00 to $825.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on KLA from $795.00 to $870.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price objective on KLA from $800.00 to $875.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Needham & Company LLC upped their price objective on KLA from $800.00 to $830.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, KLA presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $831.68.

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.