KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) CEO Richard P. Wallace Sells 14,009 Shares

KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 14,009 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $716.63, for a total transaction of $10,039,269.67. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 93,142 shares in the company, valued at approximately $66,748,351.46. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

KLA Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of KLAC stock opened at $710.67 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.14, a quick ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $95.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 1.33. KLA Co. has a 12-month low of $380.50 and a 12-month high of $729.15. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $690.90 and its 200-day moving average price is $613.54.

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

KLA Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 31st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.45 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 14th. This represents a $5.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.82%. KLA’s payout ratio is currently 30.38%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of KLA from $560.00 to $640.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on KLA from $565.00 to $725.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of KLA in a report on Friday, April 26th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on KLA from $685.00 to $760.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, Susquehanna reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $675.00 price target on shares of KLA in a research report on Monday, April 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $722.26.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On KLA

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of KLAC. United Community Bank lifted its position in KLA by 4.0% in the first quarter. United Community Bank now owns 390 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $272,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Greystone Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of KLA by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. Greystone Financial Group LLC now owns 1,173 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $819,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Journey Advisory Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of KLA by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Journey Advisory Group LLC now owns 518 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $301,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares during the period. AdvisorNet Financial Inc grew its holdings in KLA by 29.3% during the 4th quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 75 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. Finally, West Paces Advisors Inc. raised its position in KLA by 8.8% in the 4th quarter. West Paces Advisors Inc. now owns 210 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $122,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares during the period. 86.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

KLA Company 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.