533 Shares in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) Purchased by Banco Santander S.A.

Banco Santander S.A. bought a new stake in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 533 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock, valued at approximately $413,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Family Firm Inc. purchased a new stake in KLA in the second quarter worth $30,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in KLA in the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in KLA during the 2nd quarter valued at about $44,000. LRI Investments LLC bought a new stake in KLA during the 1st quarter valued at about $46,000. Finally, Olistico Wealth LLC bought a new position in KLA in the 2nd quarter worth about $53,000. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

KLA Trading Up 1.0 %

KLA stock opened at $639.55 on Friday. KLA Co. has a one year low of $527.11 and a one year high of $896.32. The stock has a market cap of $85.55 billion, a PE ratio of 29.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a current ratio of 2.13. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $710.36 and a two-hundred day moving average of $760.62.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last released its earnings results 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 analysts’ expectations of $2.75 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $5.74 EPS. KLA’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that KLA Co. will post 30.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th will be paid a $1.70 dividend. This is a positive change from KLA’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.45. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.06%. KLA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.05%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of KLA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $925.00 target price on shares of KLA in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of KLA in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on KLA from $760.00 to $725.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of KLA from $950.00 to $870.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $815.55.

About KLA

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.