KLA Corporation $KLAC Shares Sold by HighTower Advisors LLC

Key Points

• HighTower Advisors LLC reduced its stake in KLA Corporation by 1.3%, now holding 36,680 shares valued at approximately $24.93 million.
• KLA recently reported earnings of $9.38 per share for the last quarter, surpassing estimates, and has seen revenue increase by 23.6% year-over-year.
• The company has approved a $5 billion stock buyback program and declared a quarterly dividend of $1.90, indicating confidence in its stock value.

HighTower Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) by 1.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 36,680 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after selling 493 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC's holdings in KLA were worth $24,935,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of KLAC. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in KLA by 95,141.6% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,674,347 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $1,138,221,000 after acquiring an additional 1,672,589 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in KLA in the 1st quarter valued at about $348,822,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its position in shares of KLA by 27.9% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,852,814 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $1,259,543,000 after buying an additional 404,634 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its holdings in shares of KLA by 33.7% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,191,262 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $750,638,000 after acquiring an additional 300,015 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors bought a new position in shares of KLA during the fourth quarter worth about $187,212,000. Institutional investors own 86.65% of the company's stock.

KLA Price Performance

Shares of KLA stock traded down $4.21 on Wednesday, hitting $871.87. 385,204 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,155,373. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $903.99 and its 200 day simple moving average is $782.96. The company has a market cap of $115.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.71, a P/E/G ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a current ratio of 2.62, a quick ratio of 1.83 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.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 112.41% and a net margin of 33.41%.The company had revenue of $3.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.08 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $6.60 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 23.6% on a year-over-year basis. KLA has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 7.760-9.300 EPS. Analysts expect that KLA Corporation will post 31.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

KLA Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be given 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 is Monday, August 18th. KLA's dividend payout ratio is presently 25.01%.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

KLAC has been the topic of several research analyst reports. UBS Group upped their target price on KLA from $775.00 to $960.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, July 21st. Barclays upped their price target on KLA from $590.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Wall Street Zen cut KLA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, July 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered shares of KLA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $790.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an "equal weight" rating and set a $920.00 target price (up from $870.00) on shares of KLA in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $890.59.

Insider Activity at KLA

In related news, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 1,019 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $766.46, for a total value of $781,022.74. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 27,779 shares of the company's stock, valued at $21,291,492.34. This represents a 3.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 10,801 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $913.68, for a total transaction of $9,868,657.68. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 92,818 shares of the company's stock, 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. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 19,908 shares of company stock valued at $18,038,659. 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.