MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. Has $82.60 Million Position in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its position in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) by 1.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 131,032 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,249 shares during the quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. owned about 0.10% of KLA worth $82,597,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Tortoise Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of KLA by 300.0% in the 4th quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 48 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC acquired a new position in shares of KLA in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of KLA in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD grew its stake in shares of KLA by 160.0% in the 4th quarter. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD now owns 65 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA acquired a new position in shares of KLA in the fourth quarter worth about $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.65% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 7,008 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 28,798 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $20,867,606.76. The trade was a 19.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 10,802 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $53,803,042. This trade represents a 12.06% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.12% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on KLAC. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $830.00 target price on shares of KLA in a report on Thursday, May 1st. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of KLA from $770.00 to $800.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Cowen reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of KLA in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of KLA from $870.00 to $868.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on shares of KLA from $760.00 to $590.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, KLA currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $802.74.

KLA Stock Down 1.8%

NASDAQ KLAC traded down $14.83 during trading on Friday, reaching $791.17. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,130,794 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,081,236. The company has a current ratio of 2.36, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $104.63 billion, a PE ratio of 33.27, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.40. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $688.05 and a 200-day moving average price of $688.07. KLA Co. has a 1-year low of $551.33 and a 1-year high of $896.32.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $8.08 by $0.33. The firm had revenue of $3.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.01 billion. KLA had a net margin of 29.58% and a return on equity of 108.60%. The company's revenue was up 35.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $5.26 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that KLA Co. will post 31.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

KLA declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program 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 shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

KLA Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be given a $1.90 dividend. This is a positive change from KLA's previous quarterly dividend of $1.70. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. This represents a $7.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.96%. KLA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.63%.

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.