Avantax Planning Partners Inc. Has $359,000 Holdings in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Avantax Planning Partners Inc. lifted its holdings in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 2.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 570 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after acquiring an additional 16 shares during the period. Avantax Planning Partners Inc.’s holdings in KLA were worth $359,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Swedbank AB grew its stake 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. United Bank acquired a new stake in KLA during the third quarter worth about $339,000. Sigma Planning Corp grew its stake in KLA by 12.4% during the third quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 725 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $561,000 after buying an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in KLA by 3.7% during the third quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,307 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $3,335,000 after buying an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harbour Investments Inc. grew its stake in KLA by 6.3% during the third quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 386 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $299,000 after buying an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

KLA Stock Up 2.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ KLAC opened at $680.39 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $724.79 and a 200 day simple moving average of $707.91. The firm has a market cap of $90.41 billion, a PE ratio of 28.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.30. KLA Co. has a 1 year low of $609.40 and a 1 year high of $896.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 2.36 and a quick ratio of 1.63.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 29.58% and a return on equity of 108.60%. On average, research analysts forecast that KLA Co. will post 31.59 EPS for the current year.

KLA Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a dividend of $1.70 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.00%. KLA’s payout ratio is 28.60%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price objective on shares of KLA from $800.00 to $875.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Susquehanna increased their price objective on shares of KLA from $620.00 to $655.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. StockNews.com cut shares of KLA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of KLA from $703.00 to $748.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on shares of KLA from $700.00 to $760.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $831.68.

KLA Company Profile

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.