Hills Bank & Trust Co Sells 187 Shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Hills Bank & Trust Co decreased its stake in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 3.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,698 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 187 shares during the period. Hills Bank & Trust Co’s holdings in KLA were worth $3,874,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. AMG National Trust Bank bought a new stake in shares of KLA in the 2nd quarter worth $234,000. Sigma Investment Counselors Inc. bought a new stake in KLA in the 2nd quarter worth about $3,766,000. Independence Bank of Kentucky increased its stake in KLA by 15.2% in the 2nd quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 265 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $218,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC bought a new position in shares of KLA during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $206,000. Finally, Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of KLA by 12.0% in the 2nd quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC now owns 2,542 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $2,096,000 after buying an additional 273 shares during the last quarter. 86.65% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

KLA Price Performance

NASDAQ:KLAC traded up $19.32 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $817.84. 685,795 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 929,858. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $806.90 and its 200 day moving average price is $742.98. The company has a quick ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 2.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75. The company has a market cap of $110.11 billion, a PE ratio of 42.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.27. KLA Co. has a 12-month low of $440.15 and a 12-month high of $896.32.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The semiconductor company reported $6.60 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.15 by $0.45. The firm had revenue of $2.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.52 billion. KLA had a return on equity of 103.50% and a net margin of 28.15%. The company’s revenue was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $5.40 EPS. On average, analysts expect that KLA Co. will post 29.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

KLA Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 15th will be given a dividend of $1.45 per share. This represents a $5.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.71%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 15th. KLA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.38%.

Insider Transactions at KLA

In other news, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 17,437 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $705.01, for a total value of $12,293,259.37. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 105,329 shares in the company, valued at approximately $74,257,998.29. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 17,437 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $705.01, for a total value of $12,293,259.37. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 105,329 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $74,257,998.29. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CAO Virendra A. Kirloskar sold 825 shares of KLA stock in a transaction on Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $649.84, for a total transaction of $536,118.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 4,231 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,749,473.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 20,917 shares of company stock valued at $14,568,247. Insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KLAC has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com raised KLA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $950.00 price target on shares of KLA in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of KLA from $760.00 to $875.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 16th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of KLA from $860.00 to $950.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, June 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of KLA in a research note on Monday, May 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $820.00 price target for the company. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $805.29.

KLA 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.