Nykredit A S Invests $153.97 Million in KLA Corporation $KLAC

Key Points

• Nykredit A/S acquired 510,333 KLA shares worth approximately $153.97 million in the second quarter, while institutional investors collectively own 86.65% of the company.
• KLA reported quarterly revenue of $3.66 billion and EPS of $1.05, exceeding analyst estimates; revenue increased 15.2% year over year. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.23 per share.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $222.22, although insiders sold approximately $58.4 million of stock during the quarter.

Nykredit A S acquired a new position in shares of KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 510,333 shares of the semiconductor company's stock, valued at approximately $153,973,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. McIlrath & Eck LLC raised its holdings in KLA by 6.8% in the first quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 94 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $139,000 after purchasing an additional 6 shares in the last quarter. Motco grew its position in shares of KLA by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Motco now owns 405 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $492,000 after buying an additional 7 shares during the last quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC grew its position in shares of KLA by 17.1% in the 4th quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC now owns 48 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 7 shares during the last quarter. SouthState Bank Corp raised its stake in shares of KLA by 6.7% during the 4th quarter. SouthState Bank Corp now owns 111 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $135,000 after acquiring an additional 7 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC lifted its position in KLA by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 796 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $967,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.65% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at KLA

In other news, EVP Brian Lorig sold 59,586 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $208.13, for a total value of $12,401,634.18. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 77,681 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $16,167,746.53. This represents a 43.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Virendra A. Kirloskar sold 4,504 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.50, for a total value of $880,532.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 7,972 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,558,526. The trade was a 36.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 285,432 shares of company stock worth $58,369,370. 91.48% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

KLA Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of KLA stock opened at $168.98 on Friday. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $192.92 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $190.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $220.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.08, a PEG ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.45. KLA Corporation has a 12-month low of $98.10 and a 12-month high of $307.37. 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 (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The semiconductor company reported $1.05 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.61 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.94 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. KLA has set its Q1 2027 guidance at 1.060-1.260 EPS. Analysts predict that KLA Corporation will post 5.42 EPS for the current year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 17th were given a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 17th. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. This is an increase from KLA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. KLA's payout ratio is presently 25.07%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on KLAC. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $225.00 target price on shares of KLA in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $270.00 price target on shares of KLA in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $253.00 price objective on shares of KLA in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Scotiabank set a $200.00 price objective on KLA in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded KLA from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, KLA currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $222.22.

KLA Company Profile

KLA Corporation NASDAQ: KLAC develops process-control and yield-management technologies used by semiconductor and other advanced-electronics manufacturers. Its systems help customers detect, measure and analyze defects and variations during the production of integrated circuits, enabling manufacturers to improve process performance, product quality and manufacturing yields.

The company's portfolio includes wafer and reticle inspection systems, metrology and measurement tools, defect-review and analysis equipment, and software that supports process control and data management.

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