AdvisorShares Investments LLC Decreases Holdings in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

AdvisorShares Investments LLC trimmed its stake in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 31.0% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 595 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 267 shares during the quarter. AdvisorShares Investments LLC’s holdings in KLA were worth $493,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in KLA in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Cedar Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of KLA by 77.3% in the first quarter. Cedar Wealth Management LLC now owns 39 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 17 shares during the period. DSM Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of KLA during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Family Firm Inc. bought a new position in shares of KLA during the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its holdings in KLA by 2,033.3% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 64 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. 86.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at KLA

In related news, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 17,437 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $705.01, for a total transaction of $12,293,259.37. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 105,329 shares in the company, valued at $74,257,998.29. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other news, EVP Brian Lorig sold 44 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $819.40, for a total value of $36,053.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 14,211 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,644,493.40. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 17,437 shares of KLA stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $705.01, for a total value of $12,293,259.37. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 105,329 shares in the company, valued at $74,257,998.29. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 20,917 shares of company stock valued at $14,568,247. Company insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of KLA from $760.00 to $875.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 16th. Susquehanna cut their price objective on shares of KLA from $730.00 to $680.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Raymond James boosted their target price on shares of KLA from $750.00 to $875.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, June 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on KLA from $800.00 to $950.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on KLA from $860.00 to $950.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, June 17th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $805.29.

KLA Stock Performance

KLA stock opened at $713.46 on Wednesday. KLA Co. has a fifty-two week low of $440.15 and a fifty-two week high of $896.32. The stock has a market cap of $96.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.28. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $791.67 and its 200-day moving average price is $752.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.50 and a current ratio of 2.15.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The semiconductor company reported $6.60 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.15 by $0.45. KLA had a net margin of 28.15% and a return on equity of 103.50%. The company had revenue of $2.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.52 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $5.40 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that KLA Co. will post 29.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

KLA Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 15th were issued a $1.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 15th. This represents a $5.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.81%. KLA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.38%.

KLA Profile

KLA Corporation designs, manufactures, and markets 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, Display and Component Inspection.