Northern Trust Corp Has $1.12 Billion Stake in KLA Corporation $KLAC

Key Points

• Northern Trust Corp reduced its stake in KLA Corporation by 2.5%, holding now 1,642,343 shares valued at approximately $1.12 billion.
• KLA Corporation reported quarterly earnings of $9.38 per share, exceeding analysts' expectations of $8.53, with revenues of $3.17 billion for the quarter.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.90 per share, resulting in an annualized dividend yield of 0.9%.

Northern Trust Corp reduced its stake in KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) by 2.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,642,343 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after selling 42,857 shares during the quarter. Northern Trust Corp owned about 1.24% of KLA worth $1,116,465,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in KLAC. Brooklyn Investment Group grew its position in KLA by 107.0% during the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 1,012 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $687,000 after buying an additional 523 shares in the last quarter. Valley Brook Capital Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of KLA by 3.0% in the 1st quarter. Valley Brook Capital Group Inc. now owns 1,033 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $702,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Freestone Capital Holdings LLC grew its stake in shares of KLA by 8.3% during the first quarter. Freestone Capital Holdings LLC now owns 18,805 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $12,784,000 after buying an additional 1,443 shares during the last quarter. Affinity Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of KLA during the first quarter worth $429,000. Finally, Algert Global LLC increased its holdings in shares of KLA by 27.4% during the first quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 4,323 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $2,939,000 after buying an additional 929 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.65% of the company's stock.

KLA Trading Up 0.3%

KLAC stock traded up $2.36 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $878.44. The company had a trading volume of 978,414 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,075,947. The business has a 50-day moving average of $904.12 and a 200-day moving average of $783.62. KLA Corporation has a one year low of $551.33 and a one year high of $959.26. The stock has a market cap of $115.92 billion, a PE ratio of 28.91, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a current ratio of 2.62, a quick ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25.

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

KLA declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback 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 reacquire up to 5.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

KLA Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity at KLA

In other news, EVP Brian Lorig sold 8,049 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $913.68, for a total transaction of $7,354,210.32. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 11,479 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,488,132.72. This represents a 41.22% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 1,019 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $766.46, for a total value of $781,022.74. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 27,779 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,291,492.34. The trade was a 3.54% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 19,908 shares of company stock worth $18,038,659. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. TD Securities boosted their price objective on KLA from $770.00 to $800.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on KLA from $770.00 to $922.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $830.00 price objective on shares of KLA in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of KLA from $590.00 to $750.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted 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. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $890.59.

KLA 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.