KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) Stock Position Decreased by Eley Financial Management Inc

Eley Financial Management Inc lessened its holdings in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 0.9% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor 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 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of KLAC. State of Michigan Retirement System raised its holdings in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Chico Wealth RIA increased its stake in shares of KLA by 287.0% in the fourth quarter. Chico Wealth RIA now owns 3,870 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $2,250,000 after purchasing an additional 2,870 shares during the period. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC increased its stake in shares of KLA by 48.7% in 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 during the period. Ninety One SA PTY Ltd increased its stake in shares of KLA by 20.2% in the fourth quarter. Ninety One SA PTY Ltd now owns 15,620 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $9,080,000 after purchasing an additional 2,620 shares during the period. Finally, Signaturefd LLC increased 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 purchasing an additional 168 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Susquehanna reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $675.00 price objective on shares of KLA in a report on Monday, April 1st. Raymond James boosted their price objective on shares of KLA from $550.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 19th. Berenberg Bank upped 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 shares of KLA in a report on Thursday, April 11th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $800.00 price target for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of KLA from $565.00 to $725.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $703.42.

KLA Stock Performance

Shares of KLAC traded up $32.08 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $705.03. 432,017 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 952,622. KLA Co. has a 52 week low of $369.00 and a 52 week high of $729.15. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $684.51 and its 200-day simple moving average is $598.13. The firm has a market cap of $95.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The semiconductor company reported $5.26 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.94 by $0.32. KLA had a net margin of 27.98% and a return on equity of 107.56%. The company had revenue of $2.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.31 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $5.49 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that KLA Co. will post 22.61 EPS for the current year.

KLA Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Transactions at KLA

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

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.