KLA Corporation $KLAC Shares Newly Bought by Weaver Capital Management LLC

Key Points

• Weaver Capital Management initiated a KLA position by purchasing 9,466 shares worth approximately $1.85 million in the third quarter. Institutional investors collectively own 86.65% of KLA’s stock.
• KLA reported quarterly revenue of $3.66 billion and earnings of $1.05 per share, exceeding analyst expectations, while revenue increased 15.2% year over year. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average price target of $221.26.
• KLA shares recently traded at $174.46, down 2.4%, while insiders sold roughly 243,339 shares worth $46.9 million during the quarter. The company also pays an annualized dividend of $0.92 per share, yielding about 0.5%.

Weaver Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 9,466 shares of the semiconductor company's stock, valued at approximately $1,845,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in KLAC. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its position in shares of KLA by 239.3% during the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 5,614,990 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $1,094,530,000 after acquiring an additional 3,959,927 shares during the last quarter. WealthPLAN Partners LLC grew its stake in KLA by 16.3% during the third quarter. WealthPLAN Partners LLC now owns 2,578 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $503,000 after acquiring an additional 361 shares in the last quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd grew its stake in KLA by 771.7% during the third quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 1,848 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $360,000 after acquiring an additional 1,636 shares in the last quarter. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in KLA by 18.4% in the 3rd quarter. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC now owns 11,243 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $2,192,000 after acquiring an additional 1,750 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nvwm LLC increased its holdings in KLA by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Nvwm LLC now owns 12,716 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $2,479,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.65% of the company's stock.

KLA Stock Down 2.4%

NASDAQ KLAC opened at $174.46 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $187.30 and a 200-day moving average price of $196.86. KLA Corporation has a one year low of $107.20 and a one year high of $307.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 2.03 and a current ratio of 2.88. The company has a market capitalization of $227.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.45.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The semiconductor company reported $1.05 earnings per share 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.61 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.94 earnings per share. KLA's quarterly revenue was up 15.2% on a year-over-year basis. KLA has set its Q1 2027 guidance at 1.060-1.260 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that KLA Corporation will post 5.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

KLA Increases Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at KLA

In other news, CEO Richard Wallace sold 87,568 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $198.95, for a total value of $17,421,653.60. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 778,944 shares in the company, valued at $154,970,908.80. The trade was a 10.11% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO Virendra A. Kirloskar sold 4,504 shares of the business's 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 owned 7,972 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,558,526. This trade represents a 36.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 243,339 shares of company stock valued at $46,903,454. Corporate insiders own 79.39% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on KLAC shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of KLA from $200.00 to $238.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $210.00 price objective (up from $200.00) on shares of KLA in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an "overweight" rating and set a $325.00 price objective on shares of KLA in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Bank of America lifted their target price on KLA from $210.00 to $317.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and issued a $180.00 target price (up from $170.00) on shares of KLA in a 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 company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, KLA presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $221.26.

KLA Company Profile

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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