KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) Shares Sold by Janus Henderson Group PLC

Janus Henderson Group PLC cut its stake in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) by 15.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,450,823 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after selling 256,133 shares during the quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC owned about 1.09% of KLA worth $914,200,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Tortoise Investment Management LLC lifted its position in KLA by 300.0% during the fourth quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 48 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the period. TCTC Holdings LLC acquired a new position in KLA during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in KLA during the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD lifted its position in KLA by 160.0% during 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 during the period. Finally, Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA acquired a new position in KLA during the fourth quarter valued at $43,000. 86.65% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at KLA

In other news, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 10,802 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $683.30, for a total value of $7,381,006.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 78,740 shares of the company's stock, valued at $53,803,042. This represents a 12.06% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 7,008 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly 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. 0.12% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

KLA Price Performance

NASDAQ KLAC traded up $9.10 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $805.00. 1,171,282 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,076,614. KLA Co. has a 52-week low of $551.33 and a 52-week high of $896.32. The company has a market capitalization of $106.45 billion, a PE ratio of 33.85, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 2.36 and a quick ratio of 1.63. The firm's 50-day moving average is $682.96 and its 200-day moving average is $686.53.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last announced 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 company had revenue of $3.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.01 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $5.26 EPS. KLA's revenue was up 35.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that KLA Co. will post 31.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

KLA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th will be paid a dividend of $1.90 per share. This represents a $7.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. This is a boost from KLA's previous quarterly dividend of $1.70. KLA's dividend payout ratio is currently 27.63%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on KLAC shares. 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. 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. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on shares of KLA from $700.00 to $740.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. 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. Finally, 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. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $802.74.

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.