KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) Receives $688.42 Average PT from Analysts

Shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) have earned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have issued a hold recommendation and twelve have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $696.58.

KLAC has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of KLA from $760.00 to $805.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of KLA in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $800.00 target price on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of KLA from $560.00 to $640.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Raymond James lifted their target price on shares of KLA from $550.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 19th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their target price on shares of KLA from $625.00 to $800.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, April 8th.

KLA Trading Up 2.3 %

KLAC traded up $14.57 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $648.21. 707,598 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 959,227. The stock has a market capitalization of $87.66 billion, a PE ratio of 32.92, a P/E/G ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 1.34. The stock's 50-day moving average is $684.05 and its 200 day moving average is $597.19. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69. KLA has a 12 month low of $355.88 and a 12 month high of $729.15.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The semiconductor company reported $6.16 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $5.91 by $0.25. KLA had a net margin of 27.98% and a return on equity of 107.56%. The company had revenue of $2.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.46 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $7.38 EPS. The firm's revenue was down 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that KLA will post 22.61 earnings per share for the current year.

KLA Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 19th were issued a $1.45 dividend. This represents a $5.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.89%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 15th. KLA's dividend payout ratio is currently 29.46%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other KLA news, EVP Oreste Donzella sold 3,257 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $697.85, for a total transaction of $2,272,897.45. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 16,922 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,809,017.70. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, EVP Oreste Donzella sold 3,257 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $697.85, for a total value of $2,272,897.45. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 16,922 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,809,017.70. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 7,018 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $705.04, for a total transaction of $4,947,970.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 32,375 shares in the company, valued at $22,825,670. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On KLA

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. State of Michigan Retirement System lifted its holdings in KLA by 5.9% in the fourth quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 39,668 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $23,059,000 after acquiring an additional 2,200 shares during the period. Chico Wealth RIA lifted its holdings in KLA by 287.0% in the fourth quarter. Chico Wealth RIA now owns 3,870 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $2,250,000 after acquiring an additional 2,870 shares during the period. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC lifted its holdings in KLA by 48.7% in the fourth quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC now owns 43,484 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $25,277,000 after acquiring an additional 14,251 shares during the period. Ninety One SA PTY Ltd lifted its holdings in KLA by 20.2% in the fourth quarter. Ninety One SA PTY Ltd now owns 15,620 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $9,080,000 after acquiring an additional 2,620 shares during the period. Finally, Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings in KLA by 10.9% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,715 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $997,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares during the period. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About KLA

KLA Corporation designs, manufactures, and markets 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, Display and Component Inspection.