Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. Has $450,000 Stock Holdings in KLA Corporation $KLAC

Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. increased its position in KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) by 104.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 662 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after purchasing an additional 338 shares during the period. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc.'s holdings in KLA were worth $450,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of KLAC. IFC Advisors LLC raised its position in KLA by 4.6% in the 1st quarter. IFC Advisors LLC now owns 342 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $232,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Trust Investment Advisors raised its holdings in KLA by 1.3% in the first quarter. Trust Investment Advisors now owns 1,188 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $808,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Lockerman Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in KLA by 3.8% in the first quarter. Lockerman Financial Group Inc. now owns 438 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $298,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Childress Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of KLA by 3.3% in the 1st quarter. Childress Capital Advisors LLC now owns 495 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $337,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sunflower Bank N.A. raised its holdings in shares of KLA by 4.7% in the 1st quarter. Sunflower Bank N.A. now owns 381 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $259,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. 86.65% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at KLA

In related news, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 1,019 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 27,779 shares in the company, valued at $21,291,492.34. This represents a 3.54% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Brian Lorig sold 8,049 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was 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 in the company, 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. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 19,908 shares of company stock worth $18,038,659. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

KLA Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ KLAC traded up $2.36 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $878.44. The stock had a trading volume of 978,414 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,075,947. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $904.12 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $783.62. 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 Corporation has a one year low of $551.33 and a one year high of $959.26. The stock has a market cap of $115.92 billion, a PE ratio of 28.91, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.44.

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 for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $8.53 by $0.85. KLA had a net margin of 33.41% and a return on equity of 112.41%. The firm had revenue of $3.17 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.08 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $6.60 EPS. KLA's quarterly revenue was up 23.6% compared to the same quarter last year. KLA has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 7.760-9.300 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that KLA Corporation will post 31.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

KLA announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, April 30th that allows the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the semiconductor company to repurchase up to 5.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

KLA Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th will be issued a $1.90 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 18th. This represents a $7.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. KLA's dividend payout ratio is presently 25.01%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on KLAC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of KLA from $900.00 to $1,070.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of KLA from $740.00 to $950.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 17th. Barclays upped their target price on KLA from $590.00 to $750.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut shares of KLA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $790.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of KLA from $770.00 to $922.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, KLA presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $890.59.

KLA 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.