KLA Corporation $KLAC Stock Position Raised by Brookstone Capital Management

Key Points

• Brookstone Capital Management increased its KLA position by 24.9% in the third quarter, adding 16,262 shares for a total holding of 81,457 shares valued at approximately $15.9 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 86.65% of KLA.
• KLA reported quarterly revenue of $3.66 billion and earnings of $1.05 per share, exceeding analyst expectations, while revenue rose 15.2% year over year. The company also provided quarterly EPS guidance of $1.06 to $1.26.
• Insiders sold 243,339 shares worth approximately $46.9 million over the past 90 days, even as analysts maintained a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating with an average price target of $221.26.

Brookstone Capital Management boosted its position in shares of KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) by 24.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 81,457 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after purchasing an additional 16,262 shares during the period. Brookstone Capital Management's holdings in KLA were worth $15,878,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. McIlrath & Eck LLC increased its position in KLA by 6.8% in the 1st quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 94 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $139,000 after acquiring an additional 6 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its position in shares of KLA by 36.4% during the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 60 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $88,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. Stiles Financial Services Inc grew its stake in shares of KLA by 1.0% during the first quarter. Stiles Financial Services Inc now owns 1,783 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $2,625,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. grew its stake in shares of KLA by 28.2% during the first quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 100 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $147,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of KLA by 3.3% in the first quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 822 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $1,211,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Richard Wallace sold 72,019 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.88, for a total transaction of $12,378,625.72. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 706,925 shares of the company's stock, valued at $121,506,269. This trade represents a 9.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Virendra A. Kirloskar sold 4,504 shares of KLA stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $195.50, for a total value of $880,532.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 7,972 shares in the company, valued at $1,558,526. This trade represents a 36.10% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 243,339 shares of company stock valued at $46,903,454 over the last ninety days. 79.39% of the stock is owned by insiders.

KLA Price Performance

Shares of KLAC opened at $145.61 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.88, a quick ratio of 2.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. KLA Corporation has a 1 year low of $107.20 and a 1 year high of $307.37. The stock has a market cap of $190.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.45. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $182.06 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $196.95.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The semiconductor company reported $1.05 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.00 by $0.05. KLA had a net margin of 35.57% and a return on equity of 87.66%. The business had revenue of $3.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.61 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.94 EPS. KLA's revenue for the quarter was up 15.2% on a year-over-year basis. KLA has set its Q1 2027 guidance at 1.060-1.260 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that KLA Corporation will post 5.43 earnings per share for the current year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 17th were issued a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is an increase from KLA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 17th. KLA's dividend payout ratio is currently 25.07%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently weighed in on KLAC shares. Wells Fargo & Company set a $245.00 price objective on shares of KLA and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $270.00 price objective on shares of KLA in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and issued a $180.00 target price (up from $170.00) on shares of KLA in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an "outperform" rating and set a $225.00 target price on shares of KLA in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "hold" rating and set a $195.00 target price (down from $220.00) on shares of KLA in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Nineteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $221.26.

KLA Company Profile

KLA Corporation NASDAQ: KLAC develops process control, inspection and yield management solutions for the semiconductor and other advanced manufacturing industries. Its technologies help manufacturers identify defects, measure critical dimensions and monitor production processes to improve quality, reliability and manufacturing efficiency.

The company's product portfolio includes wafer and reticle inspection systems, metrology and measurement tools, defect review and classification systems, and software for analyzing manufacturing data.

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