Belmont Capital LLC Makes New $1.26 Million Investment in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Belmont Capital LLC acquired a new stake in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 2,000 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,260,000.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Diversify Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of KLA by 22.7% during the 4th quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 648 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $443,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the period. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in KLA by 27.6% during the fourth quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 9,778 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $6,161,000 after acquiring an additional 2,112 shares during the period. Milestone Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in KLA in the fourth quarter worth about $1,563,000. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc lifted its holdings in KLA by 15.2% in the 4th quarter. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc now owns 60,834 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $38,326,000 after acquiring an additional 8,028 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fiduciary Alliance LLC bought a new position in shares of KLA during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,190,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

KLA Price Performance

KLAC opened at $634.43 on Friday. 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 1 year low of $551.33 and a 1 year high of $896.32. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $697.62 and a 200 day moving average price of $691.75. The stock has a market cap of $84.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.68, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.37.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.20 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%. Analysts forecast that KLA Co. will post 31.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

KLA Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a dividend of $1.70 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $6.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.07%. KLA’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.60%.

Insider Activity at KLA

In other KLA news, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 7,008 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $724.62, for a total transaction of $5,078,136.96. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 28,798 shares in the company, valued at $20,867,606.76. This trade represents a 19.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.12% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KLAC has been the topic of a number of research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of KLA from $759.00 to $864.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price objective on KLA from $800.00 to $875.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Oppenheimer decreased their target price on KLA from $850.00 to $700.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on KLA from $825.00 to $750.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on KLA from $795.00 to $870.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” 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 MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $814.11.

KLA Company 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.