Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV Has $29.03 Million Stock Holdings in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV grew its holdings in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) by 6.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 45,023 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,592 shares during the period. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV's holdings in KLA were worth $29,031,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

KLA Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:KLAC traded down $14.83 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $791.17. 1,130,794 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,079,255. KLA Co. has a 52 week low of $551.33 and a 52 week high of $896.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a current ratio of 2.36. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $688.05 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $688.10. The company has a market cap of $104.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.40.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.41 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $8.08 by $0.33. KLA had a net margin of 29.58% and a return on equity of 108.60%. The company had revenue of $3.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.01 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $5.26 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 35.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that KLA Co. will post 31.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be issued a $1.90 dividend. This represents a $7.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.96%. This is a boost from KLA's previous quarterly dividend of $1.70. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. KLA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.63%.

KLA announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase program on Wednesday, April 30th that authorizes the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the semiconductor company to repurchase up to 5.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on KLAC shares. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $830.00 price objective on shares of KLA in a report on Thursday, May 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of KLA from $759.00 to $864.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of KLA from $770.00 to $800.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on shares of KLA from $725.00 to $850.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on shares of KLA from $760.00 to $590.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $802.74.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other KLA news, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 10,802 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $683.30, for a total value of $7,381,006.60. Following the completion of 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 7,008 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $724.62, for a total transaction of $5,078,136.96. Following the completion of 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company's stock.

KLA Company Profile

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.