Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. Raises Stock Holdings in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 40.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,450 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after purchasing an additional 415 shares during the period. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in KLA were worth $914,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in KLA during the third quarter valued at $29,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in KLA during the third quarter valued at $38,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new position in KLA during the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in KLA during the third quarter valued at $53,000. Finally, Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA bought a new position in KLA during the fourth quarter valued at $43,000. 86.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

KLA Trading Up 2.8 %

NASDAQ KLAC opened at $711.29 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $722.21 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $710.85. KLA Co. has a twelve month low of $609.40 and a twelve month 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. The company has a market capitalization of $94.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.91, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.30.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last released its quarterly earnings results 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%. Research analysts forecast that KLA Co. will post 31.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

KLA Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were given a dividend of $1.70 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $6.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.96%. KLA’s payout ratio is 28.60%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on KLAC shares. Susquehanna increased their price objective on KLA from $620.00 to $655.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Needham & Company LLC raised their price target on KLA from $800.00 to $830.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price target on KLA from $800.00 to $875.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on KLA from $800.00 to $825.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on KLA from $795.00 to $870.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Seven equities research 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, the stock 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.