Erste Asset Management GmbH Buys 6,774 Shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Erste Asset Management GmbH raised its stake in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 5.6% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 128,461 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,774 shares during the quarter. KLA accounts for about 1.0% of Erste Asset Management GmbH’s portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest position. Erste Asset Management GmbH’s holdings in KLA were worth $82,243,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Hutchens & Kramer Investment Management Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of KLA by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Hutchens & Kramer Investment Management Group LLC now owns 411 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $259,000 after buying an additional 13 shares during the last quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in shares of KLA by 5.9% during the 4th quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 253 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $160,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of KLA by 6.5% during the 4th quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 246 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $155,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of KLA by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC now owns 755 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $476,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI grew its holdings in shares of KLA by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 582 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $451,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Barclays increased their target price on shares of KLA from $700.00 to $760.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of KLA from $795.00 to $870.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on shares of KLA from $725.00 to $850.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Susquehanna raised their price target on shares of KLA from $620.00 to $655.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on shares of KLA from $665.00 to $780.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $831.68.

KLA Trading Up 2.4 %

NASDAQ:KLAC opened at $680.39 on Thursday. KLA Co. has a 12 month low of $609.40 and a 12 month high of $896.32. The stock has a market cap of $90.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.61, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $724.79 and a 200-day moving average price of $707.91. The company has a current ratio of 2.36, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. Equities analysts predict that KLA Co. will post 31.59 EPS for the current year.

KLA Announces Dividend

The firm 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $6.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.00%. KLA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.60%.

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.