Smartleaf Asset Management LLC Raises Stock Holdings in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 18.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,364 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after acquiring an additional 214 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC’s holdings in KLA were worth $865,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Hutchens & Kramer Investment Management Group LLC boosted its holdings in KLA by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Hutchens & Kramer Investment Management Group LLC now owns 411 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $259,000 after acquiring an additional 13 shares in the last quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of KLA by 5.9% during the fourth quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 253 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $160,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the period. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of KLA by 6.5% during the fourth quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 246 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $155,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the period. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of KLA by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC now owns 755 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $476,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the period. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of KLA by 1.1% during the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 1,433 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,110,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares during the period. 86.65% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

KLA Stock Down 2.5 %

KLA stock opened at $691.15 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 2.36 and a quick ratio of 1.63. KLA Co. has a 12 month low of $609.40 and a 12 month high of $896.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $91.84 billion, a PE ratio of 29.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.28. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $717.73 and a 200-day simple moving average of $713.28.

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

KLA Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th will be given a dividend of $1.70 per share. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 24th. KLA’s payout ratio is 28.60%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on KLAC shares. Barclays lifted their target price on KLA from $700.00 to $760.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on KLA from $725.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on KLA from $800.00 to $825.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com downgraded KLA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on KLA from $795.00 to $870.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $831.68.

KLA 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.