KLA Corporation $KLAC Shares Sold by Bahl & Gaynor Inc.

Key Points

• Bahl & Gaynor Inc. reduced its holdings in KLA Corporation by 13.4% in Q1 by selling 8,422 shares, leaving them with 54,447 shares worth $37 million.
• KLA's most recent earnings report showed a significant earnings per share of $9.38, beating estimates, and a revenue of $3.17 billion, a 23.6% increase year-over-year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.90 per share, with an annualized yield of 0.9%, and a stock buyback program allowing for the repurchase of up to $5 billion in shares.

Bahl & Gaynor Inc. reduced its holdings in shares of KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) by 13.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 54,447 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after selling 8,422 shares during the period. Bahl & Gaynor Inc.'s holdings in KLA were worth $37,013,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of KLAC. Alpine Bank Wealth Management purchased a new position in KLA during the first quarter valued at $35,000. Olde Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in KLA during the 1st quarter valued at $36,000. MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of KLA in the 1st quarter worth $37,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. bought a new stake in shares of KLA in the 1st quarter worth $45,000. Finally, E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of KLA by 527.3% in the first 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 during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.65% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at KLA

In other news, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 10,801 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $913.68, for a total value of $9,868,657.68. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly 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 filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO Virendra A. Kirloskar sold 39 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $891.50, for a total value of $34,768.50. Following the transaction, 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. Insiders have sold a total of 18,889 shares of company stock valued at $17,257,637 over the last 90 days. 0.12% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on KLAC shares. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on KLA in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $980.00 price objective on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of KLA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $790.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $830.00 price target on shares of KLA in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. UBS Group increased their price objective 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of KLA from $916.00 to $928.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Eight 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 a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $890.59.

KLA Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:KLAC traded up $8.55 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $888.10. 812,229 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,061,925. KLA Corporation has a 52 week low of $551.33 and a 52 week high of $959.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 2.62 and a quick ratio of 1.83. The firm has a market cap of $117.19 billion, a PE ratio of 26.40, a PEG ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 1.44. The company's 50 day moving average price is $903.77 and its 200-day moving average price is $787.34.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last released 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 firm had revenue of $3.17 billion for 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 quarterly revenue was up 23.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $6.60 earnings per share. 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 EPS for the current fiscal year.

KLA announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Wednesday, April 30th that authorizes the company to buyback $5.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the semiconductor company to repurchase up to 5.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

KLA Dividend Announcement

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

About KLA

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.