Captrust Financial Advisors Raises Holdings in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its stake in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) by 16.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,263 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after purchasing an additional 462 shares during the period. Captrust Financial Advisors' holdings in KLA were worth $2,056,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Tortoise Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in 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 buying an additional 36 shares during the period. 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 stake in shares of KLA in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD raised its holdings 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 worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA acquired a new position in KLA during the fourth quarter valued at $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.65% of the company's stock.

KLA Price Performance

NASDAQ:KLAC traded down $14.83 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $791.17. 1,130,794 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,077,945. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $685.51 and its 200 day moving average price is $687.44. KLA Co. has a 52-week low of $551.33 and a 52-week high of $896.32. The company has a market cap of $104.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.40. 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 (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.41 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $8.08 by $0.33. The firm had revenue of $3.06 billion during 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 was up 35.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $5.26 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that KLA Co. will post 31.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

KLA declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program on Wednesday, April 30th that permits the company to buyback $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the semiconductor company to purchase up to 5.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

KLA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th will be paid a dividend of $1.90 per share. This represents a $7.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.96%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. This is a boost from KLA's previous quarterly dividend of $1.70. KLA's dividend payout ratio is currently 27.63%.

Insider Buying and Selling at KLA

In related news, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 10,802 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $683.30, for a total value of $7,381,006.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 78,740 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $53,803,042. This trade represents a 12.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 7,008 shares of the business'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 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.12% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

KLAC has been the topic of several analyst reports. UBS Group increased their price target on KLA from $690.00 to $740.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Barclays dropped their target price on KLA from $760.00 to $590.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on KLA from $700.00 to $740.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. TD Securities upped their price objective on KLA from $770.00 to $800.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $830.00 target price on shares of KLA in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued 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 target price of $802.74.

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.