KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) Shares Bought by Van ECK Associates Corp

Van ECK Associates Corp increased its position in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 25.7% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 1,399,367 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after purchasing an additional 286,015 shares during the period. KLA accounts for 1.2% of Van ECK Associates Corp’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest position. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in KLA were worth $1,083,684,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of KLAC. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of KLA by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,112,261 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $9,159,832,000 after acquiring an additional 76,226 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its holdings in shares of KLA by 1.0% in the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,811,766 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,318,329,000 after buying an additional 28,172 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in shares of KLA by 2.8% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,618,709 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,829,352,000 after purchasing an additional 71,289 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc increased its holdings in shares of KLA by 1.9% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,163,958 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $959,695,000 after buying an additional 21,412 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of KLA by 8.8% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 691,039 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $569,758,000 after purchasing an additional 56,109 shares during the period. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on KLAC shares. TD Cowen decreased their target price on KLA from $760.00 to $725.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on KLA from $760.00 to $875.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 16th. StockNews.com upgraded KLA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $925.00 target price on shares of KLA in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Argus boosted their target price on shares of KLA from $800.00 to $875.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $802.90.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Mary Beth Wilkinson sold 2,611 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $652.17, for a total transaction of $1,702,815.87. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,298 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,063,876.66. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, CAO Virendra A. Kirloskar sold 825 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $649.84, for a total transaction of $536,118.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 4,231 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,749,473.04. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Mary Beth Wilkinson sold 2,611 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $652.17, for a total transaction of $1,702,815.87. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 9,298 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,063,876.66. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 20,873 shares of company stock valued at $14,532,193. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

KLA Stock Up 0.5 %

KLAC opened at $669.38 on Friday. KLA Co. has a 1-year low of $484.33 and a 1-year high of $896.32. The business has a 50 day moving average of $744.15 and a 200-day moving average of $763.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $89.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a current ratio of 2.13, a quick ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The semiconductor company reported $7.33 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.75 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $5.74 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that KLA Co. will post 29.26 earnings per share for the current year.

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.