Brown Advisory Inc. Has $537.65 Million Stock Holdings in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Brown Advisory Inc. lifted its stake in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) by 19.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 853,250 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after purchasing an additional 136,889 shares during the quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. owned 0.64% of KLA worth $537,650,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in KLAC. Tortoise Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of KLA by 300.0% during the 4th 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 in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in KLA in the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD raised its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA acquired a new stake in shares of KLA during the 4th quarter valued at about $43,000. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

KLA Stock Performance

NASDAQ KLAC traded down $12.29 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $681.00. The company had a trading volume of 905,101 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,062,239. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $678.14 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $683.58. KLA Co. has a fifty-two week low of $551.33 and a fifty-two 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 market cap of $90.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.64, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.40.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.41 earnings per share 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 the consensus estimate of $3.01 billion. KLA had a return on equity of 108.60% and a net margin of 29.58%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 35.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $5.26 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that KLA Co. will post 31.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

KLA Announces Dividend

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

KLA announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, April 30th that authorizes the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the semiconductor company to purchase up to 5.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on KLA from $870.00 to $868.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of KLA from $759.00 to $864.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of KLA from $950.00 to $900.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on KLA from $725.00 to $850.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price target on KLA from $700.00 to $740.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $802.74.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

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.