KLA Corporation $KLAC Shares Sold by Epoch Investment Partners Inc.

Key Points

• Epoch Investment Partners Inc. reduced its stake in KLA Corporation (KLAC) by 3.4%, owning 252,450 shares after selling 9,013 shares.
• Several brokerages have updated their price targets for KLA, with JPMorgan raising it to $1,070 and Raymond James increasing it to $950, while maintaining a consensus rating of "Hold."
• KLA Corporation reported a quarterly EPS of $9.38, exceeding analyst estimates, and announced a quarterly dividend of $1.90 per share.

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. reduced its position in KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) by 3.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 252,450 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after selling 9,013 shares during the period. KLA makes up approximately 0.9% of Epoch Investment Partners Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 27th largest holding. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. owned approximately 0.19% of KLA worth $171,616,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of KLAC. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of KLA by 53.2% in the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,690 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $3,586,000 after purchasing an additional 1,975 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC raised its holdings in shares of KLA by 9.3% during the 4th quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,101 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $694,000 after buying an additional 94 shares during the period. Aquatic Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of KLA during the 4th quarter valued at about $2,248,000. Prosperity Consulting Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of KLA by 30.8% during the 4th quarter. Prosperity Consulting Group LLC now owns 807 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $509,000 after buying an additional 190 shares during the period. Finally, Quarry LP raised its holdings in shares of KLA by 122.6% during the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 138 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $87,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the period. 86.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on KLAC. Wall Street Zen downgraded KLA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, July 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on KLA from $900.00 to $1,070.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Raymond James Financial reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $950.00 target price (up previously from $850.00) on shares of KLA in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of KLA from $916.00 to $928.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on shares of KLA from $590.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, KLA presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $890.59.

Insider Transactions at KLA

In related news, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 10,801 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 transaction of $9,868,657.68. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 92,818 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $84,805,950.24. The trade was a 10.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Virendra A. Kirloskar sold 39 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $891.50, for a total value of $34,768.50. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 2,616 shares in the company, valued at $2,332,164. The trade was a 1.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 18,889 shares of company stock valued at $17,257,637 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.12% of the company's stock.

KLA Stock Up 1.1%

KLAC opened at $879.55 on Tuesday. KLA Corporation has a one year low of $551.33 and a one year 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's fifty day moving average is $903.87 and its 200-day moving average is $786.64. The company has a market capitalization of $116.07 billion, a PE ratio of 28.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 1.44.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last posted 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. KLA had a return on equity of 112.41% and a net margin of 33.41%.The company had revenue of $3.17 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.08 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $6.60 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 23.6% compared to the same quarter last year. KLA has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 7.760-9.300 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that KLA Corporation will post 31.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

KLA Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced 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 payout ratio is 25.01%.

KLA declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, April 30th that allows the company to buyback $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the semiconductor company to purchase up to 5.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

About KLA

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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