Aptus Capital Advisors LLC Boosts Stake in KLA Corporation $KLAC

Key Points

• Aptus Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in KLA Corporation by 106.5% during the first quarter, owning 1,790 shares valued at approximately $1.2 million.
• KLA Corporation recently reported earnings of $9.38 per share, surpassing forecasts and experiencing a 23.6% revenue growth year-over-year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.90 per share, set to be paid on September 3rd, reflecting a dividend yield of 0.9%.

Aptus Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) by 106.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,790 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after acquiring an additional 923 shares during the period. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC's holdings in KLA were worth $1,217,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in KLAC. Alpine Bank Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of KLA in the 1st quarter worth approximately $35,000. Olde Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of KLA in the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of KLA in the 1st quarter worth approximately $37,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. bought a new stake in shares of KLA in the 1st quarter worth approximately $45,000. Finally, E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of KLA by 527.3% in the 1st quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 69 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.65% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KLAC has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. TD Securities boosted their price target on KLA from $770.00 to $800.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on KLA from $740.00 to $950.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 17th. Needham & Company LLC restated a "buy" rating and issued a $830.00 price objective on shares of KLA in a report on Thursday, May 1st. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of KLA from $775.00 to $960.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, July 21st. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of KLA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, July 5th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $890.59.

KLA Trading Up 0.3%

NASDAQ:KLAC opened at $878.44 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 2.62, a quick ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. KLA Corporation has a 12 month low of $551.33 and a 12 month high of $959.26. The company has a market cap of $115.92 billion, a PE ratio of 28.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $904.12 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $783.62.

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

KLA Announces Dividend

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

KLA declared that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, April 30th that allows the company to buyback $5.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the semiconductor company to reacquire up to 5.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Virendra A. Kirloskar sold 39 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $891.50, for a total transaction of $34,768.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 2,616 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,332,164. This trade represents a 1.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Brian Lorig sold 8,049 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $913.68, for a total transaction of $7,354,210.32. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 11,479 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,488,132.72. The trade was a 41.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 18,889 shares of company stock worth $17,257,637 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.12% of the company's stock.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.