Erste Asset Management GmbH Has $82.24 Million Stock Position in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Erste Asset Management GmbH grew its stake in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 5.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 128,461 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,774 shares during the period. KLA makes up 1.0% of Erste Asset Management GmbH’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. Erste Asset Management GmbH owned about 0.10% of KLA worth $82,243,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of KLA during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC grew its position in KLA by 300.0% in the 4th quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 48 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in KLA in the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Groupama Asset Managment grew its position in KLA by 82.3% in the 3rd quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 4,515 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 2,038 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD grew its position in KLA by 160.0% in the 4th quarter. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD now owns 65 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on KLAC. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of KLA from $703.00 to $748.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price objective on shares of KLA from $800.00 to $875.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Needham & Company LLC upped their price objective on shares of KLA from $800.00 to $830.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Susquehanna upped their price objective on shares of KLA from $620.00 to $655.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of KLA from $759.00 to $864.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $831.68.

KLA Stock Performance

Shares of KLAC stock opened at $680.39 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $90.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.61, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a current ratio of 2.36, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $724.79 and its 200 day moving average is $707.91. KLA Co. has a 12 month low of $609.40 and a 12 month high of $896.32.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.73 by $0.47. KLA had a net margin of 29.58% and a return on equity of 108.60%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that KLA Co. will post 31.59 earnings per share for the current year.

KLA Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a $1.70 dividend. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. KLA’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.60%.

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.