KLA Corporation $KLAC Shares Acquired by Candriam S.C.A.

Key Points

• Candriam S.C.A. boosted its stake in KLA Corporation by 29.6%, owning 29,198 shares valued at approximately $19.85 million after acquiring 6,677 additional shares.
• KLA reported quarterly earnings of $9.38 EPS, exceeding estimates and achieving a revenue of $3.17 billion, marking a 23.6% increase year-over-year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.90 per share, translating to an annual yield of 0.9%, with shareholders of record being paid on September 3rd.

Candriam S.C.A. lifted its position in shares of KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) by 29.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 29,198 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after acquiring an additional 6,677 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A.'s holdings in KLA were worth $19,849,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. 3Chopt Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in KLA in the first quarter worth $402,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of KLA by 40.1% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,463 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $1,674,000 after buying an additional 705 shares during the last quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of KLA during the first quarter valued at approximately $1,479,000. Keyvantage Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of KLA during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $214,000. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of KLA by 2.8% during the first quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 138,990 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $93,624,000 after buying an additional 3,846 shares during the last quarter. 86.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

KLA Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of NASDAQ KLAC opened at $878.44 on Thursday. KLA Corporation has a 12 month low of $551.33 and a 12 month 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 2.98 and a beta of 1.44. 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 business has a fifty day simple moving average of $904.12 and a 200-day simple moving average of $783.62.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The semiconductor company reported $9.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $8.53 by $0.85. The firm had revenue of $3.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.08 billion. KLA had a return on equity of 112.41% and a net margin of 33.41%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 23.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $6.60 EPS. KLA has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 7.760-9.300 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that KLA Corporation will post 31.59 EPS for the current year.

KLA Dividend Announcement

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

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KLAC has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of KLA in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on KLA from $900.00 to $1,070.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Oppenheimer increased their price target on KLA from $740.00 to $950.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 17th. TD Securities increased their price target on KLA from $770.00 to $800.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $830.00 price target on shares of KLA in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $890.59.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other 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 $84,805,950.24. This trade represents a 10.42% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Virendra A. Kirloskar sold 39 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $891.50, for a total value of $34,768.50. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 2,616 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,332,164. This trade represents a 1.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 18,889 shares of company stock valued at $17,257,637. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company's stock.

KLA 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.

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