Korea Investment CORP Has $71.06 Million Stock Holdings in KLA Corporation $KLAC

Key Points

• Korea Investment CORP sold 2,746 shares of KLA Corporation, reducing its stake by 2.6% to 104,533 shares, valued at approximately $71 million.
• Several institutional investors significantly increased their investments in KLA, with GAMMA Investing LLC boosting its stake by 95,141.6%.
• Despite mixed analyst ratings, KLA's stock saw a target price increase from multiple brokerages, with Oppenheimer raising its target from $740 to $950.

Korea Investment CORP decreased its position in shares of KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) by 2.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 104,533 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after selling 2,746 shares during the period. Korea Investment CORP owned about 0.08% of KLA worth $71,062,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KLAC. IFC Advisors LLC boosted its stake in KLA by 4.6% during the 1st quarter. IFC Advisors LLC now owns 342 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $232,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the period. Trust Investment Advisors lifted its stake in shares of KLA by 1.3% in the 1st quarter. Trust Investment Advisors now owns 1,188 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $808,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the period. Lockerman Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of KLA by 3.8% in the 1st quarter. Lockerman Financial Group Inc. now owns 438 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $298,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares during the period. Childress Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of KLA by 3.3% in the 1st quarter. Childress Capital Advisors LLC now owns 495 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $337,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares during the period. Finally, Sunflower Bank N.A. lifted its stake in shares of KLA by 4.7% in the 1st quarter. Sunflower Bank N.A. now owns 381 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $259,000 after acquiring an additional 17 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.65% of the company's stock.

KLA Price Performance

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

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The semiconductor company reported $9.38 EPS 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 firm's quarterly revenue was up 23.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $6.60 EPS. KLA has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 7.760-9.300 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that KLA Corporation will post 31.59 EPS for the current year.

KLA Announces Dividend

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

KLA announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, April 30th that permits the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the semiconductor company to reacquire up to 5.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often an indication that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on KLAC shares. Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of KLA from $740.00 to $950.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 17th. TD Securities upped their price target on shares of KLA from $770.00 to $800.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of KLA in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of KLA from $590.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of KLA from $916.00 to $928.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, KLA has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $890.59.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 1,019 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $766.46, for a total value of $781,022.74. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 27,779 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,291,492.34. This represents a 3.54% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, 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 trade represents a 10.42% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 19,908 shares of company stock worth $18,038,659 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.12% of the company's stock.

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.