Teza Capital Management LLC Sells 1,620 Shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Teza Capital Management LLC lowered its stake in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) by 75.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 527 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after selling 1,620 shares during the quarter. Teza Capital Management LLC's holdings in KLA were worth $332,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in KLAC. Tortoise Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of KLA by 300.0% in the fourth quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 48 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the period. TCTC Holdings LLC bought a new position in KLA in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in KLA in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD grew its stake in shares of KLA by 160.0% during the 4th 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 during the period. Finally, Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA purchased a new stake in shares of KLA during the 4th quarter valued at about $43,000. Institutional investors own 86.65% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at KLA

In other KLA news, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 10,802 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $683.30, for a total transaction of $7,381,006.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 78,740 shares in the company, valued at $53,803,042. This trade represents a 12.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 7,008 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 28,798 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,867,606.76. This trade represents a 19.57% 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.

KLA Stock Up 0.4%

NASDAQ KLAC opened at $790.29 on Wednesday. KLA Co. has a 12 month low of $551.33 and a 12 month high of $896.32. The company has a current ratio of 2.36, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The stock has a market cap of $104.51 billion, a PE ratio of 33.23, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.40. The stock's 50 day moving average is $692.36 and its 200 day moving average is $689.75.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $8.08 by $0.33. KLA had a net margin of 29.58% and a return on equity of 108.60%. The firm had revenue of $3.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.01 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $5.26 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 35.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that KLA Co. will post 31.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

KLA Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be given a dividend of $1.90 per share. This is a positive change from KLA's previous quarterly dividend of $1.70. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. This represents a $7.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.96%. KLA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.63%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KLAC has been the subject of several recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "hold" rating and set a $725.00 target price (down from $875.00) on shares of KLA in a research report on Friday, March 28th. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of KLA from $910.00 to $800.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. TD Securities upped their price objective on KLA from $770.00 to $800.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded KLA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $790.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price target on KLA from $770.00 to $800.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $799.58.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding KLAC? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.