Berkshire Asset Management LLC PA Reduces Position in KLA Corporation $KLAC

Key Points

• Berkshire Asset Management LLC reduced its holdings in KLA Corporation by 51.4% during the first quarter, owning 302 shares valued at $212,000 after selling 320 shares.
• KLA announced a quarterly earnings report with earnings per share of $9.38, surpassing estimates and indicating a 23.6% year-over-year revenue growth.
• The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $1.90 per share, with an annualized yield of 0.9% and a payout ratio of 25.01%.

Berkshire Asset Management LLC PA lessened its holdings in shares of KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) by 51.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 302 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after selling 320 shares during the period. Berkshire Asset Management LLC PA's holdings in KLA were worth $212,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of KLAC. Alta Advisers Ltd boosted its position in shares of KLA by 11.3% during the fourth quarter. Alta Advisers Ltd now owns 445 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $280,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of KLA by 53.2% during the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,690 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $3,586,000 after buying an additional 1,975 shares during the period. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of KLA by 21.5% during the fourth quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. now owns 19,441 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $12,250,000 after buying an additional 3,434 shares during the period. Two Creeks Capital Management LP boosted its position in shares of KLA by 56.3% during the fourth quarter. Two Creeks Capital Management LP now owns 94,113 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $59,302,000 after buying an additional 33,881 shares during the period. Finally, Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC raised its stake in shares of KLA by 100.0% during the fourth quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC now owns 214 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $136,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.65% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on KLAC. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of KLA in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of KLA in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $980.00 price target for the company. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of KLA from $775.00 to $960.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, July 21st. TD Securities lifted their price target on shares of KLA from $770.00 to $800.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Cowen reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of KLA in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $890.59.

KLA Stock Down 0.2%

NASDAQ:KLAC traded down $2.11 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $870.28. The company's stock had a trading volume of 946,136 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,073,542. The company has a market capitalization of $114.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 1.44. KLA Corporation has a 12 month low of $551.33 and a 12 month high of $959.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 1.83 and a current ratio of 2.62. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $904.12 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $785.37.

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

KLA Dividend Announcement

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

KLA declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Wednesday, April 30th that allows the company to buyback $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the semiconductor company to repurchase up to 5.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Transactions at KLA

In other news, CAO Virendra A. Kirloskar sold 39 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $891.50, for a total transaction of $34,768.50. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 2,616 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,332,164. This represents a 1.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Brian Lorig sold 8,049 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $913.68, for a total value of $7,354,210.32. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 11,479 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,488,132.72. The trade was a 41.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 18,889 shares of company stock valued at $17,257,637. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company's stock.

KLA Company 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.