Barclays Issues Positive Forecast for KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) Stock Price

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) had its price objective increased by Barclays from $700.00 to $760.00 in a report released on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. Barclays currently has an equal weight rating on the semiconductor company’s stock.

Several other brokerages also recently issued reports on KLAC. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of KLA from $800.00 to $795.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $925.00 price target on shares of KLA in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on KLA from $850.00 to $759.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on KLA from $725.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of KLA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $829.32.

KLA Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ:KLAC opened at $738.24 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $673.99 and a 200 day moving average price of $718.67. The company has a current ratio of 2.13, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65. KLA has a 12 month low of $581.70 and a 12 month high of $896.32. The company has a market cap of $98.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.71, a PEG ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.27.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last announced its earnings results 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 105.16% and a net margin of 28.92%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that KLA will post 30.34 earnings per share for the current year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The firm 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. This is an increase from KLA’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.45. This represents a $6.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.92%. KLA’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.05%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KLAC. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund raised its stake in KLA by 48.3% in the fourth quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund now owns 5,902 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $3,719,000 after buying an additional 1,922 shares during the last quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. boosted its stake in KLA by 28.9% in the 4th quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 802 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $505,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. Beta Wealth Group Inc. grew its position in KLA by 33.2% during the 4th quarter. Beta Wealth Group Inc. now owns 658 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $415,000 after purchasing an additional 164 shares during the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in KLA by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 18,032 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $11,362,000 after purchasing an additional 462 shares in the last quarter. Finally, D.A. Davidson & CO. lifted its stake in shares of KLA by 17.5% during the fourth quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 4,429 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $2,791,000 after buying an additional 660 shares during the period. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.