Natixis Advisors L.P. Buys 904 Shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Natixis Advisors L.P. raised its stake in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 0.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 139,445 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after purchasing an additional 904 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P.’s holdings in KLA were worth $81,059,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Intact Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in KLA by 7.4% in the fourth quarter. Intact Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,450 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $843,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. State of Michigan Retirement System increased its position in KLA by 5.9% during the 4th quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 39,668 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $23,059,000 after purchasing an additional 2,200 shares during the period. Meritage Portfolio Management increased its position in KLA by 6.8% during the 4th quarter. Meritage Portfolio Management now owns 26,626 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $15,478,000 after purchasing an additional 1,692 shares during the period. Chico Wealth RIA increased its position in KLA by 287.0% during the 4th quarter. Chico Wealth RIA now owns 3,870 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,250,000 after purchasing an additional 2,870 shares during the period. Finally, Crestwood Advisors Group LLC increased its position in KLA by 48.7% during the 4th quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC now owns 43,484 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $25,277,000 after purchasing an additional 14,251 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

KLA Stock Performance

KLAC traded up $14.54 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $696.59. 819,930 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 959,950. The company has a quick ratio of 1.46, a current ratio of 2.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $93.79 billion, a PE ratio of 36.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 1.33. The company’s 50-day moving average is $687.46 and its 200 day moving average is $605.39. KLA Co. has a 52 week low of $369.66 and a 52 week high of $729.15.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The semiconductor company reported $5.26 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.94 by $0.32. KLA had a net margin of 27.19% and a return on equity of 102.37%. The firm had revenue of $2.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.31 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $5.49 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that KLA Co. will post 23.24 EPS for the current year.

KLA Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $1.45 per share. This represents a $5.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 14th. KLA’s payout ratio is currently 30.38%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Oreste Donzella sold 3,257 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $697.85, for a total transaction 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 approximately $11,809,017.70. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Oreste Donzella sold 3,257 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 25th. The shares were 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 directly owns 16,922 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,809,017.70. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 7,018 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, 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.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on KLAC. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of KLA from $605.00 to $760.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of KLA from $650.00 to $700.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of KLA from $740.00 to $850.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 14th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of KLA in a report on Friday, April 26th. Finally, Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of KLA in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $800.00 price target on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $722.26.

About KLA

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.