KLA Corporation $KLAC Stock Position Cut by Alkeon Capital Management LLC

Key Points

• Alkeon Capital Management LLC reduced its holdings in KLA Corporation by 0.0%, now owning over 1 million shares valued at approximately $683 million, making it the fund's 8th largest position.
• Several hedge funds, including MAI Capital Management and IFC Advisors LLC, have increased their stakes in KLA, indicating continued interest in the semiconductor company.
• KLA's recent financial performance showed earnings per share of $9.38, exceeding analysts' expectations, alongside a significant increase in revenue year-over-year of 23.6%.

Alkeon Capital Management LLC lessened its position in shares of KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) by 0.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,005,365 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after selling 470 shares during the period. KLA accounts for 1.4% of Alkeon Capital Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest position. Alkeon Capital Management LLC owned about 0.76% of KLA worth $683,447,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in KLA by 8.2% during the 4th quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 867 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $546,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Algert Global LLC grew its holdings in KLA by 607.1% during the 4th quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 3,394 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $2,139,000 after buying an additional 2,914 shares in the last quarter. BLI Banque de Luxembourg Investments bought a new position in shares of KLA during the 4th quarter worth $1,894,000. Benjamin Edwards Inc. raised its position in shares of KLA by 10.1% in the 4th quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 1,499 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $945,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC raised its stake in KLA by 9.0% in the fourth quarter. Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,653 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $1,042,000 after buying an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.65% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently commented on KLAC. Raymond James Financial reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $950.00 price objective (up previously from $850.00) on shares of KLA in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of KLA in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. UBS Group upped their price objective on KLA from $775.00 to $960.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "equal weight" rating and set a $920.00 target price (up from $870.00) on shares of KLA in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut KLA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $790.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. 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, KLA has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $890.59.

KLA Stock Up 3.6%

NASDAQ:KLAC traded up $31.80 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $905.09. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,155,118 shares, compared to its average volume of 887,379. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 2.62 and a quick ratio of 1.83. KLA Corporation has a one year low of $551.33 and a one year high of $959.26. The business's 50-day moving average is $903.20 and its 200-day moving average is $793.71. The company has a market cap of $119.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 1.48.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last posted 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. KLA had a net margin of 33.41% and a return on equity of 112.41%. The firm had revenue of $3.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.08 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $6.60 earnings per share. 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. Equities research analysts predict that KLA Corporation will post 31.59 EPS for the current year.

KLA Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 18th were issued a $1.90 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 18th. This represents a $7.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. KLA's payout ratio is currently 25.01%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 10,801 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $913.68, for a total transaction of $9,868,657.68. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 92,818 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $84,805,950.24. This represents a 10.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Ahmad A. Khan sold 13,716 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $881.50, for a total transaction of $12,090,654.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 27,372 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $24,128,418. This trade represents a 33.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 32,605 shares of company stock worth $29,348,291. Insiders own 0.12% of the company's stock.

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.