Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Buys Shares of 109,766 KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired 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 Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 109,766 shares of the semiconductor company's stock, valued at approximately $69,166,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned approximately 0.08% of KLA as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Tortoise Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of KLA by 300.0% during the 4th quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 48 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC bought a new stake in KLA during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in KLA during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD grew 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 bought a new position in KLA in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.65% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on KLAC. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "hold" rating and set a $725.00 price objective (down previously from $875.00) on shares of KLA in a research note on Friday, March 28th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of KLA from $750.00 to $770.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Oppenheimer increased their price target on shares of KLA from $700.00 to $740.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of KLA from $910.00 to $800.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on shares of KLA from $690.00 to $740.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, KLA has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $799.58.

Insider Activity at KLA

In other KLA news, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 1,019 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $766.46, for a total value of $781,022.74. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 27,779 shares of the company's stock, valued at $21,291,492.34. This trade represents a 3.54% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 10,802 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $683.30, for a total transaction 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 approximately $53,803,042. This trade represents a 12.06% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 18,829 shares of company stock valued at $13,240,166 over the last quarter. 0.12% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

KLA Stock Performance

NASDAQ:KLAC traded down $11.56 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $777.50. 904,954 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,088,652. KLA Co. has a one year low of $551.33 and a one year high of $896.32. 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 business's fifty day simple moving average is $699.23 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $693.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $102.82 billion, a PE ratio of 32.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.40.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.41 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $3.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.01 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $5.26 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 35.5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that KLA Co. will post 31.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th will be given a $1.90 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. This represents a $7.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.98%. This is a boost from KLA's previous quarterly dividend of $1.70. KLA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.63%.

KLA announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, April 30th that authorizes the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the semiconductor company to buy up to 5.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

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.