Ieq Capital LLC Raises Stock Holdings in KLA Corporation $KLAC

Key Points

• Ieq Capital LLC raised its stake in KLA Corporation by 119.5% in the first quarter, increasing its holdings to 8,169 shares valued at approximately $5.55 million.
• KLA reported a quarterly EPS of $9.38, exceeding analyst expectations, with a revenue of $3.17 billion, a 23.6% increase from the previous year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.90 per share, reflecting an annualized dividend of $7.60 and a yield of 0.9%.

Ieq Capital LLC grew its position in KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) by 119.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 8,169 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,448 shares during the period. Ieq Capital LLC's holdings in KLA were worth $5,554,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in KLA by 0.6% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,564,622 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $9,221,230,000 after purchasing an additional 80,154 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of KLA by 27.9% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,852,814 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $1,259,543,000 after buying an additional 404,634 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in KLA by 95,141.6% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,674,347 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $1,138,221,000 after acquiring an additional 1,672,589 shares in the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA boosted its holdings in KLA by 9.0% in the first quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 1,586,781 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $1,078,526,000 after acquiring an additional 131,620 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted 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 valued at $750,638,000 after buying an additional 300,015 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.65% of the company's stock.

KLA Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of KLA stock traded down $9.49 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $836.86. 273,086 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,137,993. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $904.48 and its 200 day simple moving average is $791.49. KLA Corporation has a 52-week low of $551.33 and a 52-week high of $959.26. 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 firm has a market cap of $110.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 1.48.

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 analysts' consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.08 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $6.60 earnings per share. The company'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. On average, equities analysts predict that KLA Corporation will post 31.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

KLA Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 18th. KLA's dividend payout ratio is currently 25.01%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KLAC has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of KLA from $916.00 to $928.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of KLA in a report on Thursday, July 10th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $980.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of KLA from $1,035.00 to $1,060.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Oppenheimer increased their target price on KLA from $740.00 to $950.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 17th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $950.00 target price (up from $850.00) on shares of KLA in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $890.59.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 10,801 shares of the firm'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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Virendra A. Kirloskar sold 39 shares of KLA stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $891.50, for a total value of $34,768.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 2,616 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,332,164. This represents a 1.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 32,605 shares of company stock valued at $29,348,291. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company's stock.

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.