Delphi Management Inc. MA Increases Stock Position in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Delphi Management Inc. MA raised its stake in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 5.5% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 1,991 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the period. Delphi Management Inc. MA’s holdings in KLA were worth $1,255,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in KLA in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of KLA by 300.0% in 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 in the last quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC purchased a new stake in shares of KLA in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in KLA during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD lifted its stake in KLA by 160.0% during the 4th quarter. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD now owns 65 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. 86.65% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of KLA from $665.00 to $780.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. 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 note on Friday, January 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on shares of KLA from $725.00 to $850.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com lowered KLA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their target price on KLA from $800.00 to $875.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, KLA has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $830.67.

KLA Stock Performance

Shares of KLAC opened at $718.29 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $95.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.30. KLA Co. has a 52-week low of $609.40 and a 52-week high of $896.32. 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 stock has a 50 day moving average price of $727.37 and a 200 day moving average price of $705.16.

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

KLA Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a $1.70 dividend. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. KLA’s payout ratio is currently 28.60%.

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.