KLA Corporation $KLAC Position Lowered by Monument Capital Management

Key Points

• Monument Capital Management cut its KLA stake by 75.5% in the third quarter, selling 11,486 shares and retaining 3,721 shares valued at approximately $725,000.
• Despite Monument’s reduction, other institutional investors significantly increased their holdings, and institutions collectively own 86.65% of KLA’s shares. Company insiders sold 243,339 shares worth about $46.9 million during the latest quarter.
• KLA reported quarterly revenue of $3.66 billion and EPS of $1.05, exceeding analyst expectations, while revenue grew 15.2% year over year. Analysts maintain a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating with an average price target of $221.26.

Monument Capital Management trimmed its stake in shares of KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) by 75.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,721 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after selling 11,486 shares during the period. Monument Capital Management's holdings in KLA were worth $725,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in shares of KLA by 928.9% during the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 14,821,622 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $4,471,832,000 after purchasing an additional 13,381,153 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in shares of KLA in the second quarter worth about $2,522,430,000. National Pension Service lifted its position in shares of KLA by 899.4% in the second quarter. National Pension Service now owns 3,634,859 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $1,096,673,000 after buying an additional 3,271,158 shares in the last quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of KLA by 987.0% in the second quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC now owns 979,371 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $295,486,000 after buying an additional 889,269 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Railway Pension Investments Ltd boosted its stake in KLA by 960.4% during the second quarter. Railway Pension Investments Ltd now owns 926,652 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $279,580,000 after buying an additional 839,265 shares during the last quarter. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Richard Wallace sold 87,568 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $198.95, for a total transaction of $17,421,653.60. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 778,944 shares in the company, valued at approximately $154,970,908.80. This represents a 10.11% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Virendra A. Kirloskar sold 4,504 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.50, for a total transaction of $880,532.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 7,972 shares in the company, valued at $1,558,526. This trade represents a 36.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 243,339 shares of company stock valued at $46,903,454 in the last quarter. 79.39% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

KLA Stock Performance

NASDAQ:KLAC opened at $196.72 on Friday. The stock's fifty day moving average is $187.79 and its 200 day moving average is $195.65. KLA Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $98.10 and a fifty-two week high of $307.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $256.72 billion, a PE ratio of 53.65, a PEG ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 2.03 and a current ratio of 2.88.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The semiconductor company reported $1.05 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.05. KLA had a net margin of 35.57% and a return on equity of 87.66%. The company had revenue of $3.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.61 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.94 earnings per share. KLA's quarterly revenue was up 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. KLA has set its Q1 2027 guidance at 1.060-1.260 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that KLA Corporation will post 5.43 earnings per share for the current year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 17th were paid a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 17th. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. This is a boost from KLA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. KLA's dividend payout ratio is presently 25.07%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on KLAC shares. Stifel Nicolaus set a $250.00 price objective on KLA and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $245.00 target price on KLA and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of KLA from $200.00 to $238.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of KLA from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $225.00 price target on shares of KLA in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Eighteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $221.26.

About KLA

KLA Corporation NASDAQ: KLAC develops process-control and yield-management solutions used by semiconductor and electronics manufacturers. Its systems help customers detect defects, measure and analyze materials and structures, and monitor manufacturing processes throughout the production of integrated circuits and other advanced electronic components.

The company's product portfolio includes inspection and metrology systems, wafer and reticle inspection equipment, process-control software, data analytics tools, and related services.

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