KLA Corporation $KLAC Shares Acquired by NorthRock Partners LLC

Key Points

• NorthRock Partners increased its KLA stake by 934.6% in the second quarter, ending with 13,232 shares valued at approximately $3.99 million. Institutional investors collectively own 86.65% of KLA’s stock.
• KLA exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting adjusted earnings of $1.05 per share versus the $1.00 consensus and revenue of $3.66 billion versus $3.61 billion. Revenue rose 15.2% year over year, and management issued first-quarter 2027 earnings guidance of $1.06–$1.26 per share.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and a $222.22 target price compared with the reported share price of $188.98. However, insiders sold 258,533 shares worth nearly $56 million over the last 90 days.

NorthRock Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) by 934.6% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 13,232 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after buying an additional 11,953 shares during the quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC's holdings in KLA were worth $3,992,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Monetary Management Group Inc. increased its holdings in KLA by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Monetary Management Group Inc. now owns 3,773 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $3,380,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Tandem Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in KLA by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. Tandem Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,043 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $934,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new position in shares of KLA during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $90,000. Captrust Financial Advisors increased its holdings in shares of KLA by 13.8% in the second quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 5,118 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $4,584,000 after purchasing an additional 619 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Seven Mile Advisory purchased a new stake in KLA in the 3rd quarter valued at $444,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.65% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 27,701 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $265.69, for a total value of $7,359,878.69. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 263,472 shares in the company, valued at $70,001,875.68. This trade represents a 9.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Virendra Kirloskar sold 4,504 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.50, for a total value of $880,532.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 7,972 shares in the company, valued at $1,558,526. The trade was a 36.10% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 258,533 shares of company stock worth $55,977,470. 91.48% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

KLA Stock Performance

NASDAQ KLAC opened at $188.98 on Wednesday. KLA Corporation has a 1 year low of $91.02 and a 1 year high of $307.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 2.88 and a quick ratio of 2.03. The company has a market capitalization of $246.91 billion, a PE ratio of 51.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a fifty day moving average of $201.39 and a two-hundred day moving average of $189.49.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The semiconductor company reported $1.05 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $3.66 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.61 billion. KLA had a return on equity of 87.66% and a net margin of 35.57%.The company's revenue was up 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.94 earnings per share. KLA has set its Q1 2027 guidance at 1.060-1.260 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that KLA Corporation will post 5.42 earnings per share for the current year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. This is a boost from KLA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. KLA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.07%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on KLAC shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $230.00 price objective on shares of KLA in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of KLA in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $210.00 target price (up from $200.00) on shares of KLA in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $260.00 target price (up from $200.00) on shares of KLA in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded KLA from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, KLA presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $222.22.

KLA Company Profile

KLA Corporation NASDAQ: KLAC develops process-control and yield-management technologies used by semiconductor and other advanced-electronics manufacturers. Its systems help customers detect, measure and analyze defects and variations during the production of integrated circuits, enabling manufacturers to improve process performance, product quality and manufacturing yields.

The company's portfolio includes wafer and reticle inspection systems, metrology and measurement tools, defect-review and analysis equipment, and software that supports process control and data management.

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