OPTIMAS CAPITAL Ltd Purchases New Position in KLA Corporation $KLAC

Key Points

• OPTIMAS CAPITAL opened a position in KLA, buying 10,570 shares worth about $2.06 million; the holding represents 2.7% of its portfolio.
• KLA beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, reporting EPS of $1.22 and revenue of $4.14 billion, up 28.9% year over year. Analysts’ consensus rating is “Moderate Buy,” with a $220.35 price target.
• KLA announced a quarterly dividend of $0.23 per share, while company insiders sold 219,173 shares worth about $42.2 million over the past 90 days.

OPTIMAS CAPITAL Ltd purchased a new stake in KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 10,570 shares of the semiconductor company's stock, valued at approximately $2,060,000. KLA accounts for approximately 2.7% of OPTIMAS CAPITAL Ltd's portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest position.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of KLAC. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in shares of KLA by 928.9% in the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 14,821,622 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $4,471,832,000 after purchasing an additional 13,381,153 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in KLA in the second quarter valued at $2,522,430,000. National Pension Service raised its position in KLA by 899.4% during the 2nd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 3,634,859 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $1,096,673,000 after purchasing an additional 3,271,158 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its position in KLA by 239.3% during the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 5,614,990 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $1,094,530,000 after purchasing an additional 3,959,927 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PineStone Asset Management Inc. raised its position in KLA by 11.5% during the 3rd quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,418,400 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $471,419,000 after purchasing an additional 248,700 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.65% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on KLAC shares. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $225.00 price target on shares of KLA in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and set a $180.00 price objective (down from $190.00) on shares of KLA in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. Cantor Fitzgerald set a $240.00 price objective on KLA and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $230.00 price objective on KLA and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $210.00 target price (up from $200.00) on shares of KLA in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $220.35.

Insider Activity

In other KLA news, EVP Brian Lorig sold 59,586 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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. The trade was a 43.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 72,019 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.88, for a total value of $12,378,625.72. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 706,925 shares in the company, valued at $121,506,269. The trade was a 9.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 219,173 shares of company stock worth $42,201,914. 79.39% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key Stories Impacting KLA

Here are the key news stories impacting KLA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: KLA declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.23 per share, payable December 1 to shareholders of record November 16. The dividend provides a modest return to shareholders. KLA Declares Regular Cash Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: A bullish analysis highlights KLA’s strong quarterly results, AI-related demand, expanding margins, and upbeat guidance, including projected year-over-year revenue growth of 43% and EPS growth above 60% in the next quarter. KLA: Unfairly Caught Up In The Tech Carnage
• Positive Sentiment: Exchange-traded funds bought $52.3 million of KLAC shares on November 3, indicating institutional fund demand. ETFs Bought $52.3 Million of KLAC
• Neutral Sentiment: A report on a $17 billion hedge fund returning cash after a poor month discusses ownership and positioning in AI-chip stocks, including KLA. It may contribute to volatility, but does not by itself establish a change in KLA’s business outlook. Hedge Fund Returns Cash After Worst Month Since 2020
• Negative Sentiment: Unusually high put-option buying suggests some investors are hedging against, or betting on, downside in KLAC, a potentially bearish near-term signal. KLA Stock Sees Unusually High Put Option Buying

KLA Trading Up 6.7%

KLAC stock traded up $8.69 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $138.49. The stock had a trading volume of 15,336,108 shares, compared to its average volume of 12,115,061. The firm has a market cap of $180.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.49. The company has a current ratio of 2.76, a quick ratio of 1.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88. KLA Corporation has a 1-year low of $107.20 and a 1-year high of $307.37. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $174.83 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $181.68.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The semiconductor company reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.18 by $0.04. KLA had a return on equity of 89.30% and a net margin of 36.25%. The firm had revenue of $4.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.04 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $8.47 EPS. The business's revenue was up 28.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that KLA Corporation will post 5.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

KLA Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 16th will be given a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 16th. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. KLA's dividend payout ratio is presently 23.00%.

KLA Profile

KLA Corporation develops process-control and yield-management technologies used in the manufacture of semiconductors and other electronic products. Its systems help manufacturers detect defects, measure features and monitor production processes as they make increasingly complex devices.

The company's products include inspection and metrology equipment, as well as software and related services. Its technologies support multiple stages of semiconductor production, from work on wafers and reticles to advanced packaging.

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