KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) Stock Holdings Cut by Natixis Advisors LLC

Natixis Advisors LLC reduced its position in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 13.8% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 113,790 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 18,261 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in KLA were worth $71,701,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of KLA during the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of KLA by 300.0% during the 4th quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 48 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of KLA during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD boosted its position in shares of KLA by 160.0% in the fourth quarter. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD now owns 65 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of KLA in the third quarter worth $53,000. 86.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

KLA Price Performance

NASDAQ KLAC opened at $713.00 on Friday. KLA Co. has a fifty-two week low of $609.40 and a fifty-two week high of $896.32. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $726.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $706.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 2.36 and a quick ratio of 1.63. The firm has a market cap of $94.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.30.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.20 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

KLA Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a $1.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $6.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.95%. KLA’s payout ratio is presently 28.60%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KLAC has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on KLA from $800.00 to $825.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Needham & Company LLC raised their target price on KLA from $800.00 to $830.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on KLA from $759.00 to $864.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on KLA from $703.00 to $748.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on KLA from $725.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $830.67.

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.