Optas LLC Makes New Investment in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Optas LLC purchased a new position in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 320 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock, valued at approximately $248,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of KLAC. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of KLA by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,112,261 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $9,159,832,000 after buying an additional 76,226 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its stake in shares of KLA by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,811,766 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,318,329,000 after buying an additional 28,172 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its stake in shares of KLA by 2.8% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,618,709 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,829,352,000 after buying an additional 71,289 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its stake in shares of KLA by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,163,958 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $959,695,000 after buying an additional 21,412 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its stake in shares of KLA by 7.9% during the 2nd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,113,352 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $917,970,000 after buying an additional 81,335 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

KLA Trading Up 0.5 %

NASDAQ:KLAC opened at $669.38 on Monday. KLA Co. has a 1 year low of $484.33 and a 1 year high of $896.32. The stock has a market cap of $89.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.57, a PEG ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.29. The business has a fifty day moving average of $744.15 and a 200-day moving average of $764.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65, a quick ratio of 1.50 and a current ratio of 2.13.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The semiconductor company reported $7.33 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.03 by $0.30. KLA had a return on equity of 105.16% and a net margin of 28.92%. The business had revenue of $2.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.75 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $5.74 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 18.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that KLA Co. will post 29.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at KLA

In related news, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 17,437 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $705.01, for a total transaction of $12,293,259.37. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 105,329 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $74,257,998.29. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KLAC has been the subject of several research analyst reports. UBS Group reduced their target price on KLA from $900.00 to $765.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. StockNews.com raised KLA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Barclays dropped their price target on KLA from $800.00 to $750.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of KLA in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on KLA from $960.00 to $900.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $802.90.

About KLA

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.