KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) Shares Purchased by Czech National Bank

Czech National Bank lifted its stake in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) by 5.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 30,522 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,520 shares during the period. Czech National Bank's holdings in KLA were worth $20,749,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Custom Index Systems LLC lifted its holdings in KLA by 14.5% in the fourth quarter. Custom Index Systems LLC now owns 394 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $248,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. SeaBridge Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in KLA in the fourth quarter valued at $289,000. Symphony Financial Ltd. Co. acquired a new position in shares of KLA in the 4th quarter valued at $331,000. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of KLA by 232.5% during the 4th quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 12,839 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $8,090,000 after purchasing an additional 8,978 shares during the period. Finally, Tritonpoint Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of KLA by 27.4% during the 4th quarter. Tritonpoint Wealth LLC now owns 414 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $261,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.65% of the company's stock.

KLA Stock Performance

Shares of KLA stock traded up $9.80 during trading on Thursday, reaching $791.89. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,618,627 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,095,580. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $707.77 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $699.00. KLA Co. has a fifty-two week low of $551.33 and a fifty-two week high of $896.32. The firm has a market cap of $104.72 billion, a PE ratio of 33.30, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a current ratio of 2.36, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.41 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $8.08 by $0.33. KLA had a net margin of 29.58% and a return on equity of 108.60%. The company had revenue of $3.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.01 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $5.26 earnings per share. KLA's quarterly revenue was up 35.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that KLA Co. will post 31.59 EPS for the current year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th were given a dividend of $1.90 per share. This represents a $7.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.96%. This is a boost from KLA's previous quarterly dividend of $1.70. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 19th. KLA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.63%.

KLA declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, April 30th that permits the company to buyback $5.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the semiconductor company to purchase up to 5.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KLAC has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of KLA from $870.00 to $868.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Cowen reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of KLA in a report on Thursday, May 1st. TD Securities boosted their price target on shares of KLA from $770.00 to $800.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on KLA from $950.00 to $900.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of KLA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $790.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $799.58.

Insider Buying and Selling at KLA

In related news, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 10,802 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 78,740 shares of the company's stock, valued at $53,803,042. This trade represents a 12.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 1,019 shares of KLA stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 27,779 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,291,492.34. This trade represents a 3.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 18,829 shares of company stock worth $13,240,166. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.