Neuberger Berman Group LLC Sells 8,079 Shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Neuberger Berman Group LLC cut its stake in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 14.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 49,381 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 8,079 shares during the quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC’s holdings in KLA were worth $31,119,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of KLAC. Tortoise Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of KLA by 300.0% in the 4th quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 48 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC bought a new stake in KLA in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in KLA in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD boosted its position in shares of KLA by 160.0% during the fourth quarter. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD now owns 65 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. Finally, Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA bought a new position in shares of KLA during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $43,000. 86.65% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

KLA Stock Down 6.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ KLAC opened at $656.76 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $87.27 billion, a PE ratio of 27.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.37. 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 Co. has a 12-month low of $551.33 and a 12-month high of $896.32. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $707.15 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $695.44.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last posted 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 return on equity of 108.60% and a net margin of 29.58%. As a group, analysts expect 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a $1.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.04%. KLA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.60%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 7,008 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $724.62, for a total value of $5,078,136.96. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 28,798 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,867,606.76. This trade represents a 19.57 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently issued reports on KLAC. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on KLA from $800.00 to $825.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their target price on shares of KLA from $800.00 to $875.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. 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 report on Friday, January 31st. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $725.00 price objective (down previously from $875.00) on shares of KLA in a report on Friday, March 28th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of KLA from $759.00 to $864.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $832.17.

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.