Generali Asset Management SPA SGR Buys Shares of 3,971 KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Generali Asset Management SPA SGR bought a new stake in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 3,971 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,502,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of KLAC. Swedbank AB increased its position in shares of KLA by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 550,949 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $426,660,000 after purchasing an additional 2,019 shares during the last quarter. United Bank acquired a new position in shares of KLA during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $339,000. AMG National Trust Bank increased its position in shares of KLA by 142.4% during the 3rd quarter. AMG National Trust Bank now owns 686 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $532,000 after purchasing an additional 403 shares during the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC increased its position in shares of KLA by 39.8% during the 3rd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 1,293 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,001,000 after purchasing an additional 368 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pathstone Holdings LLC increased its position in shares of KLA by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 17,764 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $13,756,000 after purchasing an additional 367 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on KLA from $725.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Needham & Company LLC boosted their target price on KLA from $800.00 to $830.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their target price on KLA from $800.00 to $875.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on KLA from $759.00 to $864.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on KLA from $795.00 to $870.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $830.67.

KLA Stock Performance

KLAC opened at $719.61 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $95.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.30. 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 business’s fifty day moving average is $728.45 and its 200-day moving average is $704.50.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last released its 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 return on equity of 108.60% and a net margin of 29.58%. Sell-side analysts expect that KLA Co. will post 31.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

KLA Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a $1.70 dividend. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.94%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. KLA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.60%.

KLA 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.