Ascent Group LLC Buys 1,030 Shares of KLA Corporation $KLAC

Key Points

• Ascent Group LLC increased its holdings in KLA Corporation by 43.7% in Q1, bringing its total investment to $2.30 million with 3,389 shares.
• KLA Corporation recently reported a quarterly EPS of $9.38, exceeding analyst expectations, and anticipates a Q1 2026 EPS guidance between $7.760 and $9.300.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.90 per share, which represents a yield of 0.9% and has a payout ratio of 25.01%.

Ascent Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) by 43.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 3,389 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,030 shares during the period. Ascent Group LLC's holdings in KLA were worth $2,304,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Activest Wealth Management lifted its position in KLA by 4,100.0% during the first quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 42 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Alpine Bank Wealth Management acquired a new stake in KLA during the first quarter worth approximately $35,000. Olde Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in KLA during the first quarter worth approximately $36,000. Saudi Central Bank acquired a new stake in KLA during the first quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new stake in KLA during the first quarter worth approximately $37,000. Institutional investors own 86.65% of the company's stock.

KLA Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:KLAC traded up $5.11 during trading on Thursday, hitting $894.00. 964,158 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,143,951. The business's 50 day moving average is $904.12 and its 200-day moving average is $788.04. The company has a market capitalization of $117.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 1.44. 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 1-year low of $551.33 and a 1-year high of $959.26.

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

KLA Dividend Announcement

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

KLA announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Wednesday, April 30th that permits the company to buyback $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the semiconductor company to buy up to 5.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on KLAC. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of KLA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 5th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of KLA from $775.00 to $960.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, July 21st. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of KLA from $770.00 to $922.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of KLA from $740.00 to $950.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of KLA from $900.00 to $1,070.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $890.59.

Insider Transactions at KLA

In related news, EVP Brian Lorig sold 8,049 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CAO Virendra A. Kirloskar sold 39 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $891.50, for a total transaction of $34,768.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 2,616 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,332,164. This represents a 1.47% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 18,889 shares of company stock worth $17,257,637. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company's stock.

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.