KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) Stock Holdings Lifted by Alkeon Capital Management LLC

Alkeon Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) by 6.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,005,835 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after buying an additional 60,000 shares during the period. KLA comprises about 1.3% of Alkeon Capital Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest holding. Alkeon Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.76% of KLA worth $633,797,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in KLA during the 3rd quarter valued at about $994,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of KLA by 43.7% in the 3rd quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $97,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of KLA during the third quarter valued at approximately $310,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of KLA by 5.4% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 172,389 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $133,500,000 after acquiring an additional 8,830 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in KLA by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,758 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $1,108,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.65% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at KLA

In other KLA news, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 7,008 shares of the company's 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 28,798 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,867,606.76. This represents a 19.57 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

KLA Stock Up 3.2 %

NASDAQ:KLAC opened at $698.16 on Friday. 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 firm has a market cap of $92.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.37. KLA Co. has a fifty-two week low of $551.33 and a fifty-two week high of $896.32. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $679.41 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $683.40.

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

KLA declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share 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 usually an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

KLA Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a $1.70 dividend. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.97%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. KLA's dividend payout ratio is currently 28.60%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on KLAC. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on shares of KLA from $700.00 to $740.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of KLA from $795.00 to $870.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group lifted their price objective on KLA from $690.00 to $740.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "hold" rating and issued a $725.00 target price (down previously from $875.00) on shares of KLA in a research report on Friday, March 28th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on KLA from $910.00 to $800.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $802.74.

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.

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