KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) Shares Acquired by Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd.

Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) by 2.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 138,990 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after buying an additional 3,846 shares during the quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. owned approximately 0.10% of KLA worth $93,624,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Keyvantage Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in KLA during the fourth quarter valued at $214,000. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in KLA in the first quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in KLA by 4.9% in the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 23,221 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $15,787,000 after purchasing an additional 1,090 shares during the period. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina grew its holdings in KLA by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 72,211 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $45,502,000 after purchasing an additional 659 shares during the period. Finally, Raiffeisen Bank International AG acquired a new stake in KLA in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,178,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.65% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other KLA news, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 1,019 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $766.46, for a total transaction of $781,022.74. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 27,779 shares of the company's stock, valued at $21,291,492.34. This trade represents a 3.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 10,802 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $683.30, for a total value of $7,381,006.60. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 78,740 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $53,803,042. This trade represents a 12.06% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.12% of the stock is owned by insiders.

KLA Trading Down 1.4%

KLA stock traded down $13.07 during trading on Friday, reaching $889.87. 1,175,356 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,129,588. KLA Corporation has a 52-week low of $551.33 and a 52-week high of $914.83. The company has a market capitalization of $117.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.35, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47, a current ratio of 2.54 and a quick ratio of 1.74. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $778.92 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $724.65.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.41 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $8.08 by $0.33. KLA had a return on equity of 112.97% and a net margin of 31.99%. The firm had revenue of $3.06 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.01 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $5.26 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 35.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that KLA Corporation will post 31.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

KLA announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share 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 purchase up to 5.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

KLA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th were paid a dividend of $1.90 per share. This is a boost from KLA's previous quarterly dividend of $1.70. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 19th. This represents a $7.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.85%. KLA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.63%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on KLAC shares. TD Securities raised their price objective on KLA from $770.00 to $800.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on KLA from $950.00 to $900.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on KLA from $740.00 to $950.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 17th. UBS Group raised their price objective on KLA from $690.00 to $740.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on KLA from $760.00 to $590.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, KLA has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $815.39.

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.