760 Shares in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) Bought by Sherbrooke Park Advisers LLC

Sherbrooke Park Advisers LLC purchased a new position in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 760 shares of the semiconductor company's stock, valued at approximately $479,000.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in KLAC. Tortoise Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in KLA by 300.0% during the fourth quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 48 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the period. TCTC Holdings LLC acquired a new stake in KLA during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new position in KLA during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD increased its stake in KLA by 160.0% in the fourth quarter. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD now owns 65 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA acquired a new stake in KLA during the 4th quarter worth $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.65% of the company's stock.

KLA Stock Down 1.4%

NASDAQ KLAC traded down $11.35 on Wednesday, reaching $778.94. 1,236,680 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,084,357. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a current ratio of 2.36. The company has a market cap of $103.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.76, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $692.36 and a 200-day moving average price of $689.75. KLA Co. has a 12 month low of $551.33 and a 12 month high of $896.32.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.41 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $8.08 by $0.33. The company had revenue of $3.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.01 billion. KLA had a net margin of 29.58% and a return on equity of 108.60%. KLA's revenue for the quarter was up 35.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $5.26 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that KLA Co. will post 31.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be paid a dividend of $1.90 per share. This represents a $7.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.98%. This is an increase from KLA's previous quarterly dividend of $1.70. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. KLA's dividend payout ratio is presently 27.63%.

KLA announced that its board has approved a share buyback program on Wednesday, April 30th that permits the company to buyback $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the semiconductor company to reacquire up to 5.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently issued reports on KLAC. Barclays decreased their price objective on KLA from $760.00 to $590.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of KLA from $690.00 to $740.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Citigroup dropped their target price on KLA from $910.00 to $800.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of KLA from $759.00 to $864.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on KLA from $750.00 to $770.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, KLA has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $799.58.

Insider Buying and Selling at KLA

In other KLA news, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 7,008 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $724.62, for a total transaction of $5,078,136.96. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 28,798 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $20,867,606.76. The trade was a 19.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 10,802 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $683.30, for a total value of $7,381,006.60. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 78,740 shares of the company's stock, valued at $53,803,042. The trade was a 12.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 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.