KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) Shares Bought by Smartleaf Asset Management LLC

Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 18.6% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,364 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after purchasing an additional 214 shares during the quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC’s holdings in KLA were worth $865,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Hickory Point Bank & Trust acquired a new position in KLA during the fourth quarter worth $331,000. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. boosted its stake in KLA by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. now owns 1,286 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $810,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Nixon Peabody Trust Co. boosted its stake in KLA by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Nixon Peabody Trust Co. now owns 705 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $444,000 after buying an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in KLA by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC now owns 2,585 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,629,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Metis Global Partners LLC boosted its stake in KLA by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 5,867 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $3,697,000 after buying an additional 253 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

KLA Stock Down 2.5 %

Shares of KLA stock opened at $691.15 on Tuesday. KLA Co. has a 52-week low of $609.40 and a 52-week high of $896.32. The company has a 50 day moving average of $717.73 and a 200 day moving average of $713.28. The company has a quick ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 2.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The company has a market capitalization of $91.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.06, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.28.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.20 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.73 by $0.47. KLA had a net margin of 29.58% and a return on equity of 108.60%. As a group, research analysts forecast that KLA Co. will post 31.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

KLA Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be given a dividend of $1.70 per share. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 24th. KLA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.60%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KLAC has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on KLA from $703.00 to $748.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on KLA from $795.00 to $870.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Susquehanna upped their price target on KLA from $620.00 to $655.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Needham & Company LLC upped their price target on KLA from $800.00 to $830.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on KLA from $759.00 to $864.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, KLA presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $831.68.

KLA 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.