Kestra Advisory Services LLC Trims Position in KLA Corporation $KLAC

Key Points

• Kestra Advisory Services LLC reduced its stake in KLA Corporation by 6.5%, owning 6,733 shares valued at approximately $4.58 million after selling 469 shares in the first quarter.
• KLA reported $9.38 earnings per share for the last quarter, exceeding analyst expectations of $8.53, and its revenue increased by 23.6% year-over-year to $3.17 billion.
• The company has announced a quarterly dividend of $1.90, representing a 0.9% yield, with a scheduled payment date of September 3rd for shareholders of record on August 18th.

Kestra Advisory Services LLC reduced its stake in KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) by 6.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,733 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after selling 469 shares during the period. Kestra Advisory Services LLC's holdings in KLA were worth $4,577,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in KLAC. Alpine Bank Wealth Management bought a new stake in KLA during the 1st quarter valued at $35,000. Olde Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of KLA in the first quarter valued at about $36,000. MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of KLA during the first quarter valued at about $37,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of KLA during the first quarter worth about $45,000. Finally, E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of KLA by 527.3% during the first quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 69 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.65% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on KLAC. Wall Street Zen lowered KLA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 5th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and set a $920.00 target price (up previously from $870.00) on shares of KLA in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of KLA from $900.00 to $1,070.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of KLA from $916.00 to $928.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on KLA from $770.00 to $922.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating 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 company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $890.59.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Brian Lorig sold 8,049 shares of KLA stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $913.68, for a total value of $7,354,210.32. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 11,479 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,488,132.72. This trade represents a 41.22% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Virendra A. Kirloskar sold 39 shares of the company's 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 2,616 shares in the company, valued at $2,332,164. This represents a 1.47% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 18,889 shares of company stock valued at $17,257,637. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company's stock.

KLA Stock Down 2.5%

Shares of NASDAQ:KLAC traded down $22.00 on Friday, hitting $872.00. 954,278 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 958,696. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $905.02 and a 200-day simple moving average of $789.81. The company has a quick ratio of 1.83, a current ratio of 2.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. The company has a market cap of $115.07 billion, a PE ratio of 28.69, a PEG ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 1.44. KLA Corporation has a 52 week low of $551.33 and a 52 week high of $959.26.

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, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $8.53 by $0.85. The business had revenue of $3.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.08 billion. KLA had a net margin of 33.41% and a return on equity of 112.41%. KLA's revenue was up 23.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $6.60 EPS. KLA has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 7.760-9.300 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that KLA Corporation will post 31.59 earnings per share for the current year.

KLA Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be paid a dividend of $1.90 per share. 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 (DPR) is currently 25.01%.

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.