KLA (KLAC) to Release Quarterly Earnings on Thursday

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) is scheduled to release its earnings data after the market closes on Thursday, April 25th. Analysts expect KLA to post earnings of $5.08 per share for the quarter. KLA has set its Q3 guidance at $4.66-5.86 EPS.Investors that are interested in registering for the company's conference call can do so using this link.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 25th. The semiconductor company reported $6.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $5.91 by $0.25. The business had revenue of $2.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.46 billion. KLA had a net margin of 27.98% and a return on equity of 107.56%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $7.38 EPS. On average, analysts expect KLA to post $23 EPS for the current fiscal year and $27 EPS for the next fiscal year.

KLA Trading Down 2.2 %

KLA stock traded down $14.76 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $644.22. 902,684 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 961,445. 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. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $684.63 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $591.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $87.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.72, a PEG ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 1.34.

KLA Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 19th were paid a $1.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 15th. This represents a $5.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.90%. KLA's dividend payout ratio is currently 29.46%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KLAC has been the subject of several research reports. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price objective on shares of KLA from $625.00 to $800.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, April 8th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of KLA from $740.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, March 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of KLA from $565.00 to $725.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of KLA from $760.00 to $805.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of KLA from $685.00 to $760.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, KLA presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $688.42.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 7,018 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $705.04, for a total transaction of $4,947,970.72. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 32,375 shares of the company's stock, valued at $22,825,670. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 7,018 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 26th. The stock was 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Oreste Donzella sold 3,257 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $697.85, for a total value 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 approximately $11,809,017.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.12% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On KLA

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of KLA in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC bought a new position in shares of KLA in the second quarter worth about $29,000. Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of KLA in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Quarry LP raised its stake in shares of KLA by 118.9% in the first quarter. Quarry LP now owns 81 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. Finally, First Manhattan Co. raised its stake in KLA by 90.0% during the 4th quarter. First Manhattan Co. now owns 95 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. 86.65% of the stock is 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.