UniSuper Management Pty Ltd Increases Stock Holdings in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

UniSuper Management Pty Ltd increased its stake in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 6.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 25,683 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,475 shares during the quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd’s holdings in KLA were worth $16,183,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Parnassus Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of KLA by 381.3% in the fourth quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC now owns 733,328 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $462,085,000 after acquiring an additional 580,967 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in KLA by 114,444.5% in the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 342,488 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $215,809,000 after purchasing an additional 342,189 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP boosted its stake in KLA by 10,766.7% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 228,200 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $176,720,000 after purchasing an additional 226,100 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of KLA during the fourth quarter worth $142,221,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its position in shares of KLA by 84.2% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 441,053 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $277,916,000 after buying an additional 201,649 shares during the last quarter. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

KLA Stock Down 0.8 %

NASDAQ:KLAC opened at $700.00 on Friday. KLA Co. has a 52 week low of $609.40 and a 52 week high of $896.32. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $729.51 and its two-hundred day moving average is $703.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $93.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.30. 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. Research analysts anticipate that KLA Co. will post 31.59 EPS for the current year.

KLA Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a dividend of $1.70 per share. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.97%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. KLA’s payout ratio is currently 28.60%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 7,008 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $724.62, for a total transaction of $5,078,136.96. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 28,798 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,867,606.76. This represents a 19.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.12% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Needham & Company LLC upped their price objective on shares of KLA from $800.00 to $830.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on KLA from $725.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays lifted their price objective on KLA from $700.00 to $760.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on KLA from $703.00 to $748.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on KLA from $759.00 to $864.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, KLA presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $830.67.

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.