KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) Given New $750.00 Price Target at Stifel Nicolaus

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) had its price objective decreased by Stifel Nicolaus from $825.00 to $750.00 in a report published on Tuesday morning, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Stifel Nicolaus currently has a buy rating on the semiconductor company's stock.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Needham & Company LLC upped their price target on KLA from $800.00 to $830.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on KLA from $725.00 to $850.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Oppenheimer cut their price target on shares of KLA from $850.00 to $700.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of KLA from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $748.00 to $870.00 in a report on Monday, March 31st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of KLA from $759.00 to $864.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $814.11.

KLA Trading Down 1.2 %

KLAC stock traded down $7.76 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $634.43. 1,224,102 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,058,377. KLA has a 1-year low of $551.33 and a 1-year high of $896.32. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $695.14 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $690.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $84.31 billion, a PE ratio of 26.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a current ratio of 2.36, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.73 by $0.47. KLA had a net margin of 29.58% and a return on equity of 108.60%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that KLA will post 31.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

KLA Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were given a $1.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $6.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.07%. KLA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.60%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 7,008 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $724.62, for a total value of $5,078,136.96. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 28,798 shares in the company, valued at $20,867,606.76. This trade represents a 19.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.12% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of KLA

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Hutchens & Kramer Investment Management Group LLC boosted its position in shares of KLA by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Hutchens & Kramer Investment Management Group LLC now owns 411 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $259,000 after purchasing an additional 13 shares in the last quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in KLA by 5.9% during the fourth quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 253 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $160,000 after buying an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. grew its position in KLA by 6.5% during the fourth quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 246 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $155,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the period. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC increased its holdings in KLA by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC now owns 755 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $476,000 after buying an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Anchor Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of KLA by 12.0% during the 4th quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 140 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $88,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the period. 86.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.