KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) Stock Holdings Lifted by ProShare Advisors LLC

ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) by 16.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 207,333 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after purchasing an additional 28,882 shares during the quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.16% of KLA worth $130,645,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Pathstone Holdings LLC increased its stake in shares of KLA by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 17,846 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $11,246,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Mufg Securities Americas Inc. acquired a new stake in KLA during the 4th quarter valued at $1,244,000. Man Group plc increased its position in KLA by 52.1% during the fourth quarter. Man Group plc now owns 195,906 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $123,444,000 after buying an additional 67,132 shares in the last quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV increased its position in KLA by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV now owns 45,023 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $29,031,000 after buying an additional 2,592 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nomura Holdings Inc. raised its holdings in shares of KLA by 63.7% in the fourth quarter. Nomura Holdings Inc. now owns 12,478 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $7,863,000 after acquiring an additional 4,857 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.65% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 7,008 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $724.62, for a total value 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. This represents a 19.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 10,802 shares of KLA stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 78,740 shares in the company, valued at approximately $53,803,042. This trade represents a 12.06% 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.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on KLAC shares. Citigroup decreased their price objective on KLA from $910.00 to $800.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Barclays lowered 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. TD Securities upped their price objective on shares of KLA from $770.00 to $800.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of KLA from $950.00 to $900.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price target on KLA from $770.00 to $800.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, KLA presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $799.58.

KLA Stock Up 0.0%

KLAC traded up $0.36 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $787.37. 451,763 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,079,019. KLA Co. has a fifty-two week low of $551.33 and a fifty-two week high of $896.32. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $690.18 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $689.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 2.36 and a quick ratio of 1.63. The company has a market cap of $104.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.10, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.40.

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

KLA announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase 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 repurchase up to 5.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

KLA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th will be given a dividend of $1.90 per share. This represents a $7.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.97%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. This is an increase from KLA's previous quarterly dividend of $1.70. KLA's dividend payout ratio is currently 27.63%.

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.