KLA Corporation $KLAC Shares Newly Purchased by Goelzer Investment Management Inc.

Key Points

• Goelzer Investment Management purchased 35,588 KLA shares worth approximately $6.94 million during the third quarter. Institutional investors collectively own 86.65% of KLAC.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with 18 Buy ratings and 11 Holds, resulting in a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $221.26.
• KLA exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, reporting $1.05 EPS and $3.66 billion in revenue, while insiders sold 243,339 shares worth about $46.9 million over the past three months.

Goelzer Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 35,588 shares of the semiconductor company's stock, valued at approximately $6,937,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of KLAC. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its position in shares of KLA by 36.4% in the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 60 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $88,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares during the period. Allied Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of KLA during the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. McIlrath & Eck LLC lifted its position in KLA by 6.8% during the first quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 94 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $139,000 after purchasing an additional 6 shares during the last quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc raised its position in shares of KLA by 2,275.0% during the 2nd quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 95 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Atomic Invest LLC grew its position in KLA by 781.8% in the second quarter. Atomic Invest LLC now owns 97 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.65% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on KLAC. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and set a $180.00 price objective (up from $170.00) on shares of KLA in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $325.00 price target on shares of KLA in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Weiss Ratings lowered KLA from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. Morgan Stanley set a $227.00 price objective on KLA and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $250.00 price target on shares of KLA and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Eighteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $221.26.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Virendra A. Kirloskar sold 4,504 shares of KLA stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.50, for a total transaction of $880,532.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 7,972 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,558,526. This trade represents a 36.10% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP MaryBeth Wilkinson sold 13,802 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.50, for a total transaction of $2,698,291.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 22,110 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,322,505. This represents a 38.43% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 243,339 shares of company stock valued at $46,903,454 over the last three months. Insiders own 79.39% of the company's stock.

KLA Stock Performance

KLAC stock opened at $165.74 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 2.88 and a quick ratio of 2.03. KLA Corporation has a 1 year low of $107.20 and a 1 year high of $307.37. The company has a market cap of $216.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.45. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $186.66 and its 200-day moving average price is $196.64.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. The firm had revenue of $3.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.61 billion. KLA had a net margin of 35.57% and a return on equity of 87.66%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 15.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.94 EPS. KLA has set its Q1 2027 guidance at 1.060-1.260 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that KLA Corporation will post 5.43 earnings per share for the current year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 17th were issued a dividend of $0.23 per share. This is a boost from KLA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 17th. KLA's payout ratio is 25.07%.

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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