KLA Corporation $KLAC Shares Acquired by Norinchukin Bank The

Key Points

• Norinchukin Bank The increased its stake in KLA Corporation by 43.7%, acquiring an additional 3,115 shares, bringing its total holdings to 10,245 shares valued at approximately $6,965,000 as of the latest SEC filing.
• KLA Corporation reported earnings of $9.38 per share for the last quarter, exceeding the consensus estimate by $0.85, with revenue of $3.17 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.90 per share set to be paid on September 3rd, reflecting an annualized yield of 0.9%.

Norinchukin Bank The increased its stake in KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) by 43.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,245 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after acquiring an additional 3,115 shares during the period. Norinchukin Bank The's holdings in KLA were worth $6,965,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. 3Chopt Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of KLA in the first quarter valued at $402,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of KLA by 40.1% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,463 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $1,674,000 after acquiring an additional 705 shares in the last quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of KLA in the first quarter valued at $1,479,000. Keyvantage Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of KLA in the fourth quarter valued at $214,000. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of KLA by 2.8% in the first quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 138,990 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $93,624,000 after acquiring an additional 3,846 shares in the last quarter. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on KLAC shares. Raymond James Financial reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $950.00 price objective (up from $850.00) on shares of KLA in a research note on Friday, August 1st. TD Securities lifted their price objective on shares of KLA from $770.00 to $800.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of KLA from $775.00 to $960.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, July 21st. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of KLA from $800.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of KLA in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $980.00 price objective for the company. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, KLA has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $890.59.

KLA Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of KLA stock traded down $2.11 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $870.28. The company had a trading volume of 946,136 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,080,477. The company's 50-day moving average is $904.12 and its two-hundred day moving average is $785.72. KLA Corporation has a twelve month low of $551.33 and a twelve month high of $959.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 2.62 and a quick ratio of 1.83. The company has a market cap of $114.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 1.44.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The semiconductor company reported $9.38 earnings per share (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 analysts' expectations of $3.08 billion. KLA had a net margin of 33.41% and a return on equity of 112.41%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 23.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $6.60 EPS. KLA has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 7.760-9.300 EPS. Analysts anticipate that KLA Corporation will post 31.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

KLA Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be given a dividend of $1.90 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 18th. This represents a $7.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. KLA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.01%.

KLA declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Wednesday, April 30th that allows the company to buyback $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the semiconductor company to purchase up to 5.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Transactions at KLA

In other news, CAO Virendra A. Kirloskar sold 39 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $891.50, for a total transaction of $34,768.50. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 2,616 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,332,164. This trade represents a 1.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Brian Lorig sold 8,049 shares of the firm's 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 11,479 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,488,132.72. This trade represents a 41.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 18,889 shares of company stock worth $17,257,637. 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.