KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) Shares Sold by Sunbelt Securities Inc.

Sunbelt Securities Inc. lessened its holdings in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 7.6% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 387 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 32 shares during the quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc.’s holdings in KLA were worth $300,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in shares of KLA by 172.1% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,026 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $846,000 after purchasing an additional 649 shares during the period. Brookstone Capital Management increased its position in KLA by 11.1% in the second quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 519 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $406,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the period. OFI Invest Asset Management lifted its stake in KLA by 529.7% in the second quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management now owns 466 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $358,000 after buying an additional 392 shares during the last quarter. Western Financial Corp CA boosted its holdings in shares of KLA by 80.6% during the second quarter. Western Financial Corp CA now owns 2,615 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,156,000 after acquiring an additional 1,167 shares during the period. Finally, Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of KLA by 8.3% during the second quarter. Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. now owns 328 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $270,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

KLA Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of KLA stock opened at $653.76 on Friday. KLA Co. has a 12-month low of $542.41 and a 12-month high of $896.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $87.45 billion, a PE ratio of 29.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a quick ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 2.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $674.82 and its 200-day moving average is $750.06.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last posted 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.75 billion. KLA had a return on equity of 105.16% and a net margin of 28.92%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $5.74 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that KLA Co. will post 30.61 earnings per share for the current year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a $1.70 dividend. This is a positive change from KLA’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.45. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.04%. KLA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.05%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KLAC has been the topic of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of KLA from $870.00 to $800.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 6th. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on KLA from $760.00 to $725.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $925.00 target price on shares of KLA in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Oppenheimer upgraded KLA from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $750.00 to $850.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Susquehanna lowered their price target on KLA from $680.00 to $675.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 11th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $812.30.

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.