Howard Capital Management Inc. Raises Stake in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Howard Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 22.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 15,132 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,771 shares during the period. Howard Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in KLA were worth $9,535,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in KLAC. Swedbank AB lifted its holdings in KLA by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 550,949 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $426,660,000 after purchasing an additional 2,019 shares in the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC lifted its holdings in KLA by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 5,750 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $4,453,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated lifted its holdings in KLA by 1,568.3% during the 3rd quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 1,368 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,070,000 after purchasing an additional 1,286 shares in the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC lifted its holdings in KLA by 4.4% during the 3rd quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 1,688 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,307,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lake Street Advisors Group LLC lifted its holdings in KLA by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,275 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $987,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

KLA Price Performance

Shares of KLA stock opened at $754.30 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 2.36 and a quick ratio of 1.63. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $708.55 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $715.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $100.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.28. KLA Co. has a one year low of $609.40 and a one year high of $896.32.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last announced its quarterly 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 108.60% and a net margin of 29.58%. Analysts forecast that KLA Co. will post 31.59 EPS for the current year.

KLA Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be paid a dividend of $1.70 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 24th. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.90%. KLA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.60%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on KLAC shares. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on KLA from $759.00 to $864.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on KLA from $725.00 to $850.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price target on KLA from $800.00 to $875.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on KLA from $795.00 to $870.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on KLA from $800.00 to $825.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, KLA currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $831.68.

KLA Company 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.