SBI Securities Co. Ltd. Takes $856,000 Position in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 1,358 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock, valued at approximately $856,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in KLA in the third quarter valued at $29,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of KLA during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Groupama Asset Managment increased its position in KLA by 82.3% in the 3rd quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 4,515 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 2,038 shares during the period. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in KLA during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA acquired a new stake in KLA during the 4th quarter worth approximately $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on KLAC shares. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price target on KLA from $800.00 to $875.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of KLA from $700.00 to $760.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on shares of KLA from $725.00 to $850.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of KLA from $795.00 to $870.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Needham & Company LLC lifted their price objective on KLA from $800.00 to $830.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $831.68.

KLA Stock Performance

NASDAQ:KLAC opened at $691.15 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.36, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The company has a market capitalization of $91.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.28. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $717.73 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $713.28. KLA Co. has a twelve month low of $609.40 and a twelve month high of $896.32.

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

KLA Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th will be given a dividend of $1.70 per share. This represents a $6.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 24th. KLA’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.60%.

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.