George Kaiser Family Foundation Purchases New Shares in KLA Corporation $KLAC

Key Points

• The George Kaiser Family Foundation invested approximately $260,000 in KLA Corporation by acquiring 383 shares in the 1st quarter.
• KLA Corporation's stock has undergone various institutional investments, with 86.65% of its shares owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
• KLA reported a quarterly earnings surprise with earnings per share of $9.38, exceeding estimates by $0.85, alongside a revenue increase of 23.6% year-over-year.

George Kaiser Family Foundation purchased a new stake in shares of KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 383 shares of the semiconductor company's stock, valued at approximately $260,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Alpine Bank Wealth Management bought a new stake in KLA during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Olde Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of KLA during the first quarter worth approximately $36,000. MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of KLA during the first quarter worth approximately $37,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. bought a new stake in shares of KLA in the first quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Finally, E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of KLA by 527.3% in the first quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 69 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Virendra A. Kirloskar sold 39 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $891.50, for a total transaction of $34,768.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 2,616 shares in the company, valued at $2,332,164. This trade represents a 1.47% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 10,801 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $913.68, for a total transaction 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 trade represents a 10.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 19,908 shares of company stock worth $18,038,659 in the last quarter. 0.12% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of KLA from $800.00 to $900.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of KLA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, July 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of KLA in a report on Thursday, July 10th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $980.00 price objective on the stock. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $830.00 target price on shares of KLA in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Raymond James Financial restated an "outperform" rating and set a $950.00 price target (up from $850.00) on shares of KLA in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, KLA has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $890.59.

KLA Price Performance

NASDAQ KLAC traded up $2.36 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $878.44. 978,414 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,159,217. KLA Corporation has a 1-year low of $551.33 and a 1-year high of $959.26. The company has a market cap of $115.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.91, a P/E/G ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 1.44. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $903.99 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $782.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 1.83 and a current ratio of 2.62.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The semiconductor company reported $9.38 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $8.53 by $0.85. KLA had a return on equity of 112.41% and a net margin of 33.41%.The business had revenue of $3.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.08 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $6.60 EPS. KLA'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, analysts anticipate that KLA Corporation will post 31.59 EPS for the current year.

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

KLA Announces Dividend

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

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.