Plato Investment Management Ltd Increases Stake in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Plato Investment Management Ltd lifted its stake in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 6,462 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after purchasing an additional 131 shares during the quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in KLA were worth $4,999,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KLAC. Capital Market Strategies LLC lifted its holdings in shares of KLA by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. Capital Market Strategies LLC now owns 808 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $666,000 after purchasing an additional 13 shares during the last quarter. CVA Family Office LLC increased its position in KLA by 3.7% during the third quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 366 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $283,000 after buying an additional 13 shares during the period. HBW Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in KLA by 2.6% in the second quarter. HBW Advisory Services LLC now owns 548 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $452,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. TIAA Trust National Association boosted its holdings in shares of KLA by 0.4% in the second quarter. TIAA Trust National Association now owns 3,249 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,679,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares during the period. Finally, AA Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of KLA by 2.7% during the second quarter. AA Financial Advisors LLC now owns 567 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $467,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KLAC has been the subject of several research reports. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of KLA from $900.00 to $765.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. Barclays lowered their price target on KLA from $800.00 to $750.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price objective on KLA from $890.00 to $750.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on KLA from $800.00 to $900.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, Citigroup cut their price target on KLA from $960.00 to $900.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, KLA presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $802.90.

KLA Trading Down 3.0 %

NASDAQ:KLAC opened at $644.55 on Thursday. KLA Co. has a 52-week low of $527.11 and a 52-week high of $896.32. The company has a quick ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 2.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $726.46 and a 200-day simple moving average of $764.95. The company has a market capitalization of $86.22 billion, a PE ratio of 29.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.29.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The semiconductor company reported $7.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.03 by $0.30. KLA had a net margin of 28.92% and a return on equity of 105.16%. The company had revenue of $2.84 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.75 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $5.74 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that KLA Co. will post 30.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be issued a $1.70 dividend. This represents a $6.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.05%. This is a boost from KLA’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.45. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. KLA’s payout ratio is 26.48%.

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.