Los Angeles Capital Management LLC Sells 147,785 Shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC reduced its holdings in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) by 44.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 182,708 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after selling 147,785 shares during the quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.14% of KLA worth $106,208,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Alkeon Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of KLA by 52.8% during the third quarter. Alkeon Capital Management LLC now owns 1,156,913 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $530,630,000 after acquiring an additional 400,000 shares during the period. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd boosted its stake in KLA by 6,309.1% during the 4th quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 250,147 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $145,410,000 after acquiring an additional 246,244 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in KLA in the fourth quarter worth $132,189,000. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in KLA by 6.4% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,159,498 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $1,449,135,000 after buying an additional 190,355 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of KLA by 12.7% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,365,784 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $626,431,000 after buying an additional 153,752 shares during the period. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Berenberg Bank upped their price target on KLA from $670.00 to $690.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. StockNews.com raised shares of KLA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of KLA from $560.00 to $640.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Raymond James reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $750.00 price target (up from $625.00) on shares of KLA in a report on Friday, April 26th. Finally, Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of KLA in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $800.00 price target on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $722.26.

Insider Activity at KLA

In related news, 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,922 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,809,017.70. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other KLA news, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 7,018 shares of the business'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 sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 32,375 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $22,825,670. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Oreste Donzella sold 3,257 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,922 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,809,017.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

KLA Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:KLAC traded up $16.01 during trading on Thursday, hitting $682.05. 675,031 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 961,066. The business's 50 day moving average is $687.46 and its 200-day moving average is $605.39. The company has a quick ratio of 1.46, a current ratio of 2.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90. KLA Co. has a 1-year low of $369.66 and a 1-year high of $729.15. The company has a market capitalization of $91.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 1.33.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The semiconductor company reported $5.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.94 by $0.32. KLA had a net margin of 27.19% and a return on equity of 102.37%. The firm had revenue of $2.36 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.31 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $5.49 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that KLA Co. will post 23.24 earnings per share for the current year.

KLA Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 31st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be issued a $1.45 dividend. This represents a $5.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.85%. KLA's payout ratio is 30.38%.

KLA Company Profile

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.