Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Boosts Holdings in KLA Corporation $KLAC

Key Points

• Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in KLA Corporation by 1.7%, owning a total of 72,743 shares worth approximately $49.45 million as of the end of the last quarter.
• Analysts have varied ratings on KLA, with eight analysts rating it as a "Buy" and ten giving it a "Hold," while the average price target stands at $890.59.
• KLA Corporation reported earnings per share (EPS) of $9.38 for the last quarter, beating estimates, and announced a quarterly dividend of $1.90 per share, scheduled for payment on September 3rd.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its stake in KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) by 1.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 72,743 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,181 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. owned approximately 0.06% of KLA worth $49,450,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Alpine Bank Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of KLA in the first quarter valued at $35,000. Olde Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of KLA during the 1st quarter valued at about $36,000. MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of KLA during the 1st quarter valued at about $37,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of KLA during the 1st quarter valued at about $45,000. Finally, E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of KLA by 527.3% during the 1st quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 69 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.65% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other KLA news, EVP Brian Lorig sold 8,049 shares of KLA stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $913.68, for a total value of $7,354,210.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 11,479 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,488,132.72. The trade was a 41.22% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 10,801 shares of KLA stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $913.68, for a total value of $9,868,657.68. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 92,818 shares of the company's stock, valued at $84,805,950.24. This trade represents a 10.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 18,889 shares of company stock worth $17,257,637 in the last 90 days. 0.12% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

KLA Stock Performance

KLAC traded up $5.11 during trading on Thursday, reaching $894.00. 919,356 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,142,141. The stock has a market cap of $117.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.42, a PEG ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 1.44. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $904.12 and a 200 day moving average of $788.04. The company has a current ratio of 2.62, a quick ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. KLA Corporation has a 52 week low of $551.33 and a 52 week high of $959.26.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The semiconductor company reported $9.38 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $8.53 by $0.85. The company had revenue of $3.17 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.08 billion. KLA had a return on equity of 112.41% and a net margin of 33.41%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 23.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $6.60 EPS. KLA has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 7.760-9.300 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that KLA Corporation will post 31.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

KLA announced that its board has authorized a share buyback 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 shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

KLA Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th will be given a dividend of $1.90 per share. 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 (DPR) is 25.01%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on KLAC shares. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on KLA from $916.00 to $928.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of KLA in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on KLA in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $980.00 price objective for the company. Barclays lifted their price objective on KLA from $590.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. Finally, Cowen restated a "hold" rating on shares of KLA in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, KLA currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $890.59.

KLA Company 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.