Benchmark Investment Advisors LLC Has $2.95 Million Position in KLA Corporation $KLAC

Key Points

• Benchmark Investment Advisors LLC reduced its stake in KLA Corporation by 38.2%, holding 4,335 shares worth approximately $2.95 million as of the end of the last reporting period.
• Several institutional investors increased their investments in KLA during the same quarter, with notable stakes including a 4,100% increase by Activest Wealth Management.
• Analysts have raised their price targets for KLA significantly, with estimates now reaching as high as $1,070.00, indicating strong confidence in the stock's performance moving forward.

Benchmark Investment Advisors LLC cut its holdings in shares of KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) by 38.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,335 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after selling 2,684 shares during the period. KLA makes up approximately 1.9% of Benchmark Investment Advisors LLC's holdings, making the stock its 16th biggest position. Benchmark Investment Advisors LLC's holdings in KLA were worth $2,947,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of KLA by 95,141.6% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,674,347 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $1,138,221,000 after acquiring an additional 1,672,589 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in shares of KLA during the first quarter valued at approximately $348,822,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of KLA by 27.9% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,852,814 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $1,259,543,000 after acquiring an additional 404,634 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in shares of KLA by 33.7% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,191,262 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $750,638,000 after acquiring an additional 300,015 shares during the period. Finally, Voloridge Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of KLA by 421.8% during the fourth quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 325,411 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $205,048,000 after acquiring an additional 263,051 shares during the period. 86.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

KLA Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ KLAC traded down $2.45 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $843.90. 931,408 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,142,130. 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 company's 50 day moving average is $904.48 and its 200 day moving average is $791.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $111.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 1.48. KLA Corporation has a one year low of $551.33 and a one year high of $959.26.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 business 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%. KLA's quarterly revenue was up 23.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $6.60 EPS. KLA has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 7.760-9.300 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that KLA Corporation will post 31.59 EPS for the current year.

KLA Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Shareholders 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.01%.

Insider Activity at KLA

In other KLA 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 value of $34,768.50. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 2,616 shares in the company, valued at $2,332,164. This trade represents a 1.47% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Brian Lorig sold 8,049 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $913.68, for a total transaction of $7,354,210.32. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 11,479 shares in the company, valued at $10,488,132.72. This represents a 41.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 32,605 shares of company stock valued at $29,348,291. Company insiders own 0.12% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on KLAC. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered 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. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of KLA from $590.00 to $750.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of KLA from $900.00 to $1,070.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an "equal weight" rating and issued a $920.00 price objective (up previously from $870.00) on shares of KLA in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of KLA in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $890.59.

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.