Vista Investment Partners II LLC Takes Position in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Vista Investment Partners II LLC acquired a new stake in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 5,764 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,632,000. KLA comprises approximately 2.1% of Vista Investment Partners II LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest position.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in KLA during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC grew its position in KLA by 300.0% during the fourth quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 48 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the period. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in KLA during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Groupama Asset Managment boosted its position in shares of 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 during the period. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in shares of KLA in the third quarter worth approximately $38,000. 86.65% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

KLA Trading Up 2.8 %

KLA stock opened at $711.29 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 2.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. KLA Co. has a 52 week low of $609.40 and a 52 week high of $896.32. The company has a market capitalization of $94.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.30. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $722.21 and a 200 day moving average price of $710.04.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.20 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.73 by $0.47. KLA had a return on equity of 108.60% and a net margin of 29.58%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that KLA Co. will post 31.59 EPS for the current year.

KLA Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were given a dividend of $1.70 per share. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.96%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. KLA’s payout ratio is 28.60%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

KLAC has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Susquehanna upped their price target on shares of KLA from $620.00 to $655.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of KLA from $795.00 to $870.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Needham & Company LLC upped their price target on shares of KLA from $800.00 to $830.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays upped their target price on shares of KLA from $700.00 to $760.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on shares of KLA from $725.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.