Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund Buys 1,922 Shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund increased its position in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 48.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 5,902 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,922 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund’s holdings in KLA were worth $3,719,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Hutchens & Kramer Investment Management Group LLC increased its holdings in KLA by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Hutchens & Kramer Investment Management Group LLC now owns 411 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $259,000 after purchasing an additional 13 shares during the period. Richardson Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in KLA by 5.9% during the fourth quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 253 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $160,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. lifted its position in shares of KLA by 6.5% during the 4th quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 246 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $155,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of KLA by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC now owns 755 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $476,000 after buying an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of KLA by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 1,433 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,110,000 after buying an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

KLA Stock Down 1.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ KLAC opened at $750.74 on Tuesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $697.11 and a 200-day moving average of $714.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $99.77 billion, a PE ratio of 31.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.28. KLA Co. has a 52-week low of $609.40 and a 52-week high of $896.32. The company has a quick ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 2.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.20 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.73 by $0.47. KLA had a return on equity of 108.60% and a net margin of 29.58%. On average, analysts anticipate that KLA Co. will post 31.59 EPS for the current year.

KLA Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be paid a dividend of $1.70 per share. This represents a $6.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.91%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 24th. KLA’s payout ratio is 28.60%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of KLA from $700.00 to $760.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Oppenheimer upgraded KLA from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $750.00 to $850.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Needham & Company LLC boosted their price objective on KLA from $800.00 to $830.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of KLA from $795.00 to $870.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on shares of KLA from $725.00 to $850.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, KLA presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $831.68.

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.