Quantinno Capital Management LP Sells 372 Shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Quantinno Capital Management LP lowered its stake in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) by 3.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 11,725 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after selling 372 shares during the period. Quantinno Capital Management LP's holdings in KLA were worth $7,388,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of KLA by 16.1% in the 4th quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 403 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $254,000 after buying an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC raised its position in shares of KLA by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 6,724 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $4,237,000 after buying an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. raised its position in shares of KLA by 70.2% in the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 1,353 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $853,000 after buying an additional 558 shares in the last quarter. ERn Financial LLC raised its position in shares of KLA by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. ERn Financial LLC now owns 963 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $607,000 after buying an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Outlook Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of KLA by 23.5% in the 4th quarter. Outlook Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 563 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $355,000 after buying an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.65% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Cowen restated a "hold" rating on shares of KLA in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "hold" rating and set a $725.00 price objective (down from $875.00) on shares of KLA in a research report on Friday, March 28th. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of KLA from $770.00 to $800.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of KLA from $750.00 to $770.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of KLA from $759.00 to $864.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, KLA presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $799.58.

Insider Activity

In related 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 78,740 shares of the company's stock, valued at $53,803,042. This represents a 12.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 7,008 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 25th. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $20,867,606.76. This trade represents a 19.57% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.12% of the company's stock.

KLA Trading Up 0.6%

NASDAQ KLAC traded up $4.74 on Wednesday, hitting $795.03. The company's stock had a trading volume of 233,893 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,191,403. The company's 50-day moving average is $692.36 and its 200 day moving average is $689.75. The company has a quick ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 2.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. KLA Co. has a 1-year low of $551.33 and a 1-year high of $896.32. The firm has a market cap of $105.13 billion, a PE ratio of 33.43, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.40.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.41 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $3.01 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $5.26 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 35.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that KLA Co. will post 31.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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 paid a $1.90 dividend. This is a positive change from KLA's previous quarterly dividend of $1.70. This represents a $7.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.96%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. KLA's dividend payout ratio is currently 27.63%.

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

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.