Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC lowered its holdings in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 9.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 470 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 50 shares during the quarter. Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC’s holdings in KLA were worth $296,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of KLAC. Mizuho Securities USA LLC raised its holdings in shares of KLA by 32,828.8% in the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 3,419,000 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,647,708,000 after purchasing an additional 3,408,617 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of KLA by 76,452.4% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 302,382 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $234,168,000 after acquiring an additional 301,987 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its stake in shares of KLA by 25.7% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,399,367 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,083,684,000 after acquiring an additional 286,015 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its stake in shares of KLA by 6,188.5% during the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 239,404 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $185,397,000 after acquiring an additional 235,597 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP raised its stake in shares of KLA by 10,766.7% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 228,200 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $176,720,000 after acquiring an additional 226,100 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on KLAC. Susquehanna boosted their price objective on shares of KLA from $620.00 to $655.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on shares of KLA from $760.00 to $725.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Barclays cut their price target on shares of KLA from $750.00 to $700.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Needham & Company LLC upgraded shares of KLA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $750.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on shares of KLA from $850.00 to $759.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $806.35.

KLA Stock Down 1.4 %

KLAC stock opened at $760.95 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $101.78 billion, a PE ratio of 34.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a current ratio of 2.13. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $661.42 and its 200 day moving average is $723.50. KLA Co. has a one year low of $581.70 and a one year high of $896.32.

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

KLA Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were given a $1.70 dividend. This is a positive change from KLA’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.45. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.89%. KLA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.05%.

About KLA

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.