KLA Corporation $KLAC Stock Position Lowered by Thematics Asset Management

Key Points

• Thematics Asset Management reduced its stake in KLA Corporation by 1.9%, owning 36,369 shares now valued at approximately $24.72 million, making it the fund's 25th largest position.
• Insider sales included EVP Brian Lorig selling 8,049 shares and CEO Richard P. Wallace selling 10,801 shares, both on August 12, representing significant decreases in their ownership stakes.
• KLA Corporation reported $9.38 earnings per share for the last quarter, which exceeded analysts' expectations, and has also initiated a share buyback program worth $5 billion, indicating confidence in the company's valuation.

Thematics Asset Management lessened its stake in KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) by 1.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 36,369 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after selling 703 shares during the period. KLA accounts for about 1.3% of Thematics Asset Management's holdings, making the stock its 25th biggest position. Thematics Asset Management's holdings in KLA were worth $24,724,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of KLA by 95,141.6% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,674,347 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $1,138,221,000 after acquiring an additional 1,672,589 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in KLA in the first quarter valued at about $348,822,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its holdings in KLA by 27.9% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,852,814 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $1,259,543,000 after purchasing an additional 404,634 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in KLA by 33.7% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,191,262 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $750,638,000 after purchasing an additional 300,015 shares during the period. Finally, Voloridge Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of KLA by 421.8% during the 4th quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 325,411 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $205,048,000 after buying an additional 263,051 shares in the last quarter. 86.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and set a $920.00 price objective (up previously from $870.00) on shares of KLA in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of KLA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $790.00 price target for the company. in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Cowen restated a "hold" rating on shares of KLA in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of KLA from $770.00 to $922.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Oppenheimer raised their price objective on KLA from $740.00 to $950.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 17th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $890.59.

KLA Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of KLAC stock traded up $5.11 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $894.00. 964,116 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,143,839. The firm has a market cap of $117.97 billion, a PE ratio of 29.42, a PEG ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 1.44. KLA Corporation has a 1 year low of $551.33 and a 1 year high of $959.26. The company has a quick ratio of 1.83, a current ratio of 2.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $904.12 and a 200 day moving average of $788.04.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The semiconductor company reported $9.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $8.53 by $0.85. The business 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%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 23.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $6.60 earnings per share. KLA has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 7.760-9.300 EPS. Analysts expect that KLA Corporation will post 31.59 earnings per share for the current 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 paid a $1.90 dividend. This represents a $7.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 18th. KLA's dividend payout ratio is 25.01%.

KLA declared that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, April 30th that authorizes the company to buyback $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the semiconductor company to reacquire up to 5.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at KLA

In other news, EVP Brian Lorig sold 8,049 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $913.68, for a total transaction of $7,354,210.32. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 11,479 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,488,132.72. This represents a 41.22% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 10,801 shares of KLA stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $913.68, for a total value of $9,868,657.68. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 92,818 shares in the company, valued at approximately $84,805,950.24. This trade represents a 10.42% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 18,889 shares of company stock valued at $17,257,637 over the last three months. 0.12% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.