Bensler LLC Has $13.23 Million Position in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Bensler LLC boosted its holdings in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) by 2.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 19,459 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after buying an additional 501 shares during the quarter. KLA comprises 1.7% of Bensler LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Bensler LLC's holdings in KLA were worth $13,228,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in KLA by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,484,468 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $8,496,833,000 after buying an additional 85,370 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors boosted its holdings in KLA by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 3,606,838 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $2,273,118,000 after acquiring an additional 14,397 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in KLA by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,253,302 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $2,046,472,000 after acquiring an additional 31,608 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in KLA during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,175,756,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in KLA by 13.8% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,685,200 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $1,061,878,000 after acquiring an additional 204,330 shares during the period. 86.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

KLA Price Performance

KLAC traded down $7.33 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $867.67. 1,832,159 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,113,834. The firm has a market capitalization of $114.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a quick ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 2.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. KLA Co. has a one year low of $551.33 and a one year high of $896.32. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $729.17 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $706.53.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.41 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $8.08 by $0.33. The firm had revenue of $3.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.01 billion. KLA had a net margin of 29.58% and a return on equity of 108.60%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 35.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $5.26 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that KLA Co. will post 31.59 EPS for the current year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th were issued a dividend of $1.90 per share. This is a positive change from KLA's previous quarterly dividend of $1.70. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 19th. This represents a $7.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.88%. KLA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.63%.

KLA announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, April 30th that authorizes the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the semiconductor company to buy up to 5.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KLAC has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of KLA from $870.00 to $868.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of KLA from $750.00 to $770.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Cowen restated a "hold" rating on shares of KLA in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "hold" rating and set a $725.00 price target (down from $875.00) on shares of KLA in a report on Friday, March 28th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of KLA from $910.00 to $800.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $795.39.

Insider Transactions at KLA

In other news, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 1,019 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $766.46, for a total transaction of $781,022.74. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 27,779 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $21,291,492.34. This trade represents a 3.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 10,802 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $683.30, for a total transaction of $7,381,006.60. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 78,740 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $53,803,042. The trade was a 12.06% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 18,829 shares of company stock valued at $13,240,166. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company's stock.

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.