CW Advisors LLC Buys Shares of 1,672 KLA Corporation $KLAC

Key Points

• CW Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in KLA Corporation, acquiring 1,672 shares valued at approximately $1,157,000 during the 1st quarter.
• KLA Corporation reported strong quarterly earnings, achieving $9.38 earnings per share (EPS) and revenue of $3.17 billion, exceeding analysts’ expectations.
• The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.90 per share, with a dividend yield of 0.9%, and approved a stock repurchase plan allowing the buyback of $5 billion in outstanding shares.

CW Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 1,672 shares of the semiconductor company's stock, valued at approximately $1,157,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. IFC Advisors LLC raised its stake in KLA by 4.6% during the 1st quarter. IFC Advisors LLC now owns 342 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $232,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the period. Trust Investment Advisors grew its holdings in KLA by 1.3% during the first quarter. Trust Investment Advisors now owns 1,188 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $808,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the period. Lockerman Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of KLA by 3.8% during the first quarter. Lockerman Financial Group Inc. now owns 438 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $298,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. Childress Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of KLA by 3.3% during the first quarter. Childress Capital Advisors LLC now owns 495 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $337,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sunflower Bank N.A. lifted its position in shares of KLA by 4.7% during the first quarter. Sunflower Bank N.A. now owns 381 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $259,000 after acquiring an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.65% of the company's stock.

KLA Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:KLAC traded up $5.11 on Thursday, hitting $894.00. 964,163 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,024,690. The company has a current ratio of 2.62, a quick ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $904.58 and its 200 day moving average price is $789.03. KLA Corporation has a 1-year low of $551.33 and a 1-year high of $959.26. The firm 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.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The semiconductor company reported $9.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $8.53 by $0.85. The company had revenue of $3.17 billion during 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 firm's revenue for the quarter was up 23.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $6.60 earnings per share. KLA has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 7.760-9.300 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be paid a $1.90 dividend. This represents a $7.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 18th. KLA's payout ratio is 25.01%.

KLA declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Wednesday, April 30th that authorizes the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the semiconductor company to reacquire up to 5.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on KLAC. TD Securities increased their price objective on KLA from $770.00 to $800.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $830.00 target price on shares of KLA in a report on Thursday, May 1st. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of KLA from $775.00 to $960.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, July 21st. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on KLA from $740.00 to $950.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 17th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of KLA from $1,035.00 to $1,060.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, KLA has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $890.59.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 10,801 shares of the company'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 $9,868,657.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 92,818 shares in the company, valued at approximately $84,805,950.24. This represents a 10.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Brian Lorig sold 8,049 shares of the 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 11,479 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,488,132.72. This represents a 41.22% 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 worth $17,257,637 in the last ninety days. 0.12% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.