KBC Group NV Decreases Stock Holdings in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

KBC Group NV lessened its holdings in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 70.4% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 35,358 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 83,920 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in KLA were worth $27,382,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Capital Market Strategies LLC grew its position in shares of KLA by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. Capital Market Strategies LLC now owns 808 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $666,000 after buying an additional 13 shares during the last quarter. CVA Family Office LLC increased its position in shares of KLA by 3.7% during the third quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 366 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $283,000 after purchasing an additional 13 shares in the last quarter. HBW Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of KLA by 2.6% in the 2nd quarter. HBW Advisory Services LLC now owns 548 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $452,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. TIAA Trust National Association boosted its position in shares of KLA by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. TIAA Trust National Association now owns 3,249 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,679,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the period. Finally, AA Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in KLA by 2.7% during the 2nd quarter. AA Financial Advisors LLC now owns 567 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $467,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

KLA Trading Down 4.7 %

Shares of KLA stock opened at $614.46 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $722.79 and a two-hundred day moving average of $763.28. The stock has a market cap of $82.19 billion, a PE ratio of 28.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a current ratio of 2.13, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65. KLA Co. has a 12-month low of $527.11 and a 12-month high of $896.32.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The semiconductor company reported $7.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.03 by $0.30. The firm had revenue of $2.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.75 billion. KLA had a return on equity of 105.16% and a net margin of 28.92%. KLA’s revenue was up 18.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $5.74 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that KLA Co. will post 30.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th will be paid a $1.70 dividend. This represents a $6.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.11%. This is a boost from KLA’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.45. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. KLA’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.48%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on KLAC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on KLA from $800.00 to $950.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th. TD Cowen decreased their price target on shares of KLA from $760.00 to $725.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. StockNews.com upgraded shares of KLA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of KLA from $800.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on KLA from $960.00 to $900.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $802.90.

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.