Banque Transatlantique SA Purchases New Shares in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Banque Transatlantique SA acquired a new stake in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 17,310 shares of the semiconductor company's stock, valued at approximately $10,966,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in KLAC. Tortoise Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of 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. TCTC Holdings LLC purchased a new position in KLA during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in KLA during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD lifted its stake in KLA by 160.0% in the 4th quarter. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD now owns 65 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA purchased a new stake in KLA in the 4th quarter worth approximately $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.65% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at KLA

In related 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on KLAC shares. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on KLA from $750.00 to $770.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on KLA from $759.00 to $864.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of KLA from $795.00 to $870.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Susquehanna lifted their price objective 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, Needham & Company LLC reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $830.00 target price on shares of KLA in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $802.74.

KLA Trading Down 1.8 %

Shares of KLA stock traded down $12.29 on Tuesday, hitting $681.00. The stock had a trading volume of 905,101 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,062,239. 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 one year low of $551.33 and a one year high of $896.32. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $678.14 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $683.58. The stock has a market cap of $90.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.64, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.40.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $8.08 by $0.33. The business had revenue of $3.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.01 billion. KLA had a net margin of 29.58% and a return on equity of 108.60%. The company's revenue was up 35.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $5.26 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that KLA Co. will post 31.59 EPS for the current year.

KLA declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, April 30th that authorizes the company to buyback $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the semiconductor company to reacquire up to 5.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

KLA Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a $1.70 dividend. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. KLA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 24.72%.

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.