Quantbot Technologies LP Has $1.12 Million Stock Holdings in KLA Corporation $KLAC

Key Points

• Quantbot Technologies LP significantly reduced its position in KLA Corporation by 94.8%, owning just 1,647 shares valued at $1,120,000 after selling 29,768 shares in the first quarter.
• Several hedge funds, including Cornerstone Select Advisors LLC and Aptus Capital Advisors LLC, have increased their holdings in KLA, reflecting greater institutional interest as over 86% of the stock is now held by these investors.
• KLA announced a quarterly dividend of $1.90 per share, along with a stock repurchase program valued at $5 billion, indicating management's belief that the shares may be undervalued.

Quantbot Technologies LP cut its stake in shares of KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) by 94.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,647 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after selling 29,768 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP's holdings in KLA were worth $1,120,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Alpine Bank Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of KLA in the 1st quarter worth approximately $35,000. Olde Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in KLA in the first quarter valued at $36,000. MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new position in KLA in the first quarter valued at about $37,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. purchased a new position in KLA in the first quarter valued at about $45,000. Finally, E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of KLA by 527.3% during the first quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 69 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.65% of the company's stock.

KLA Stock Down 2.5%

Shares of NASDAQ KLAC traded down $22.00 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $872.00. The company had a trading volume of 954,278 shares, compared to its average volume of 958,696. The stock has a market capitalization of $115.07 billion, a PE ratio of 28.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 1.44. KLA Corporation has a twelve month low of $551.33 and a twelve month high of $959.26. The stock's 50 day moving average is $905.02 and its 200-day moving average is $789.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 1.83 and a current ratio of 2.62.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The semiconductor company reported $9.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $8.53 by $0.85. The firm 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%. KLA's revenue for the quarter was up 23.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $6.60 earnings per share. KLA has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 7.760-9.300 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that KLA Corporation will post 31.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

KLA Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling at KLA

In other KLA news, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 10,801 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $913.68, for a total transaction of $9,868,657.68. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 92,818 shares in the company, valued at $84,805,950.24. This represents a 10.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Brian Lorig sold 8,049 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $913.68, for a total transaction of $7,354,210.32. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 11,479 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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. Insiders sold 18,889 shares of company stock worth $17,257,637 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.12% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. TD Securities raised their target price on KLA from $770.00 to $800.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on KLA from $916.00 to $928.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Citigroup lifted their target price on KLA from $1,035.00 to $1,060.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Wall Street Zen downgraded KLA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 5th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on KLA from $770.00 to $922.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, KLA has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $890.59.

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.