KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) Shares Sold by Heartland Bank & Trust Co

Heartland Bank & Trust Co cut its holdings in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 3.4% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,028 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 36 shares during the quarter. Heartland Bank & Trust Co’s holdings in KLA were worth $648,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in KLA in the second quarter valued at approximately $508,000. Driehaus Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of KLA in the 2nd quarter valued at $218,000. Ascent Group LLC grew its stake in shares of KLA by 16.6% during the 2nd quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 2,546 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,099,000 after buying an additional 362 shares during the period. Algert Global LLC acquired a new stake in shares of KLA during the 2nd quarter worth $239,000. Finally, Copperwynd Financial LLC raised its position in shares of KLA by 1.5% in the 2nd quarter. Copperwynd Financial LLC now owns 1,588 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,307,000 after buying an additional 23 shares during the period. 86.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Oppenheimer upgraded KLA from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $750.00 to $850.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Needham & Company LLC raised shares of KLA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $750.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, January 13th. TD Cowen reduced their price target on shares of KLA from $760.00 to $725.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of KLA from $750.00 to $700.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of KLA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, KLA presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $812.47.

KLA Price Performance

KLAC stock opened at $749.82 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $100.30 billion, a PE ratio of 34.24, a P/E/G ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a quick ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 2.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $666.45 and its two-hundred day moving average is $720.69. KLA Co. has a 52-week low of $581.70 and a 52-week high of $896.32.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The semiconductor company reported $7.33 earnings per share (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 business had revenue of $2.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.75 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $5.74 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 18.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that KLA Co. will post 30.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were given a dividend of $1.70 per share. This is a boost from KLA’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.45. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.91%. KLA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.05%.

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.