KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) have been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and thirteen have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $816.63.

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. TD Cowen lowered their price target on KLA from $760.00 to $725.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on KLA from $870.00 to $800.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of KLA from $746.00 to $703.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of KLA from $960.00 to $900.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on shares of KLA from $800.00 to $750.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 31st.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On KLA

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mizuho Securities USA LLC raised its position in KLA by 32,828.8% during the third quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 3,419,000 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,647,708,000 after purchasing an additional 3,408,617 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of KLA by 76,452.4% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 302,382 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $234,168,000 after buying an additional 301,987 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its stake in shares of KLA by 25.7% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,399,367 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,083,684,000 after acquiring an additional 286,015 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its holdings in shares of KLA by 6,188.5% during the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 239,404 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $185,397,000 after acquiring an additional 235,597 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP grew its position 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 acquiring an additional 226,100 shares during the last quarter. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

KLA Price Performance

NASDAQ:KLAC opened at $657.01 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $87.88 billion, a PE ratio of 30.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.27. KLA has a 1-year low of $542.41 and a 1-year high of $896.32. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $649.53 and a 200 day simple moving average of $734.60. 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 (NASDAQ:KLAC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The semiconductor company reported $7.33 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.03 by $0.30. The company had revenue of $2.84 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.75 billion. KLA had a net margin of 28.92% and a return on equity of 105.16%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 18.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $5.74 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that KLA will post 30.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a dividend of $1.70 per share. This represents a $6.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.03%. This is an increase from KLA’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.45. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. KLA’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.05%.

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.