KLA Corporation $KLAC Shares Sold by Ameriprise Financial Inc.

Key Points

• Ameriprise Financial Inc. has decreased its position in KLA Corporation by 7.0%, selling 75,864 shares to hold 1,008,774 shares valued at approximately $682.23 million.
• KLA Corporation's CEO, Richard P. Wallace, sold 10,801 shares for over $9.8 million, marking a 10.42% decrease in his holdings.
• KLA announced a quarterly dividend of $1.90 per share, with an upcoming ex-dividend date on August 18th and a payout ratio of 25.01%.

Ameriprise Financial Inc. reduced its stake in shares of KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) by 7.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,008,774 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after selling 75,864 shares during the quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. owned 0.76% of KLA worth $682,230,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of KLA by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,564,622 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $9,221,230,000 after buying an additional 80,154 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of KLA by 27.9% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,852,814 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $1,259,543,000 after buying an additional 404,634 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in shares of KLA by 13.8% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,685,200 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $1,061,878,000 after buying an additional 204,330 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of KLA by 95,141.6% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,674,347 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $1,138,221,000 after buying an additional 1,672,589 shares during the period. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA raised its holdings in shares of KLA by 9.0% during the 1st quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 1,586,781 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $1,078,526,000 after buying an additional 131,620 shares during the period. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at KLA

In related news, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 10,801 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $913.68, for a total transaction of $9,868,657.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 92,818 shares in the company, valued at $84,805,950.24. The trade was a 10.42% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Brian Lorig sold 8,049 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $913.68, for a total value of $7,354,210.32. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 11,479 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,488,132.72. This represents a 41.22% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 18,889 shares of company stock worth $17,257,637 in the last 90 days. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KLAC has been the topic of several analyst reports. Barclays raised their target price on KLA from $590.00 to $750.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. Cowen restated a "hold" rating on shares of KLA in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on KLA from $900.00 to $1,070.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on KLA in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $980.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered KLA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 5th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, KLA currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $890.59.

KLA Stock Performance

Shares of KLAC traded down $2.11 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $870.28. The stock had a trading volume of 946,136 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,080,477. The company has a market cap of $114.84 billion, a PE ratio of 28.64, a PEG ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 1.44. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $904.12 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $785.72. The company has a quick ratio of 1.83, a current ratio of 2.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. KLA Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $551.33 and a fifty-two week high of $959.26.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The semiconductor company reported $9.38 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $8.53 by $0.85. The company had revenue of $3.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.08 billion. KLA had a return on equity of 112.41% and a net margin of 33.41%.The business's revenue was up 23.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $6.60 EPS. KLA has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 7.760-9.300 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that KLA Corporation will post 31.59 earnings per share for the current year.

KLA declared that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Wednesday, April 30th that authorizes the company to buyback $5.00 billion in 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 often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

KLA Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th will be given a dividend of $1.90 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 18th. This represents a $7.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. KLA's payout ratio is currently 25.01%.

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.