Findlay Park Partners LLP Sells 148,000 Shares of KLA Corporation $KLAC

Key Points

• Findlay Park Partners LLP has reduced its stake in KLA Corporation by 49.8%, selling 148,000 shares and holding approximately 149,382 shares worth $101.55 million.
• Insider selling activity includes KLA's EVP Brian Lorig offloading 8,049 shares for over $7.35 million, indicating a 41.22% decrease in his ownership.
• KLA recently reported a 23.6% year-over-year revenue increase with quarterly earnings surpassing estimates at $9.38 per share against a prediction of $8.53.

Findlay Park Partners LLP trimmed its holdings in shares of KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) by 49.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 149,382 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after selling 148,000 shares during the quarter. Findlay Park Partners LLP owned 0.11% of KLA worth $101,550,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec grew its holdings in KLA by 736.6% during the 1st quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 68,811 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $46,778,000 after acquiring an additional 60,586 shares during the last quarter. CSM Advisors LLC bought a new stake in KLA during the 1st quarter worth approximately $200,000. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in KLA by 5.6% during the 1st quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 27,747 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $18,863,000 after acquiring an additional 1,475 shares during the last quarter. Tandem Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in KLA by 9.6% during the 1st quarter. Tandem Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,027 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $698,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Synovus Financial Corp grew its holdings in KLA by 14.3% during the 1st quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 8,205 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $5,578,000 after acquiring an additional 1,024 shares during the last quarter. 86.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other KLA news, EVP Brian Lorig sold 8,049 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 transaction of $7,354,210.32. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 11,479 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,488,132.72. This represents a 41.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Virendra A. Kirloskar sold 39 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $891.50, for a total transaction of $34,768.50. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 2,616 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,332,164. The trade was a 1.47% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 18,889 shares of company stock worth $17,257,637. Insiders own 0.12% of the company's stock.

KLA Stock Up 1.1%

KLA stock opened at $879.55 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.83, a current ratio of 2.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. KLA Corporation has a 12-month low of $551.33 and a 12-month high of $959.26. The firm's fifty day moving average is $903.87 and its 200 day moving average is $786.64. The company has a market capitalization of $116.07 billion, a PE ratio of 28.94, a PEG ratio of 2.96 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, topping the consensus estimate of $8.53 by $0.85. KLA had a net margin of 33.41% and a return on equity of 112.41%. The firm had revenue of $3.17 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.08 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $6.60 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 23.6% on a year-over-year basis. KLA has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 7.760-9.300 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that KLA Corporation will post 31.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

KLA Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on KLAC. TD Securities boosted their target price on shares of KLA from $770.00 to $800.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Wells Fargo & Company restated an "equal weight" rating and issued a $920.00 price target (up previously from $870.00) on shares of KLA in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of KLA from $1,035.00 to $1,060.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Raymond James Financial restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $950.00 price target (up previously from $850.00) on shares of KLA in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their price target on shares of KLA from $740.00 to $950.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 17th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $890.59.

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.

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