KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) Price Target Raised to $780.00

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) had its price target hoisted by UBS Group from $665.00 to $780.00 in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a neutral rating on the semiconductor company’s stock.

Several other research firms have also recently issued reports on KLAC. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on shares of KLA from $850.00 to $759.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on shares of KLA from $890.00 to $750.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 31st. StockNews.com cut KLA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $925.00 price target on shares of KLA in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on KLA from $800.00 to $795.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 13th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, KLA currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $806.35.

KLA Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ KLAC opened at $760.95 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $101.78 billion, a PE ratio of 34.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.27. KLA has a 1 year low of $581.70 and a 1 year high of $896.32. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $661.42 and a 200-day moving average price of $723.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65, a current ratio of 2.13 and a quick ratio of 1.48.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The semiconductor company reported $7.33 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.03 by $0.30. KLA had a return on equity of 105.16% and a net margin of 28.92%. The business had revenue of $2.84 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.75 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $5.74 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 18.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that KLA will post 30.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a dividend of $1.70 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.89%. This is a boost from KLA’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.45. KLA’s payout ratio is presently 31.05%.

Institutional Trading of KLA

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of KLAC. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in KLA in the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Groupama Asset Managment grew its stake in KLA by 82.3% in the third quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 4,515 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 2,038 shares in the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in KLA during the 3rd quarter worth $38,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of KLA in the 3rd quarter worth $53,000. Finally, Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of KLA during the 3rd quarter worth $56,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

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.