KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $831.68.

A number of research firms have issued reports on KLAC. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on shares of KLA from $760.00 to $725.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of KLA from $759.00 to $864.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of KLA from $800.00 to $825.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on shares of KLA from $725.00 to $850.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their target price on shares of KLA from $800.00 to $875.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st.

KLA Price Performance

KLAC stock opened at $754.30 on Monday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $706.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $715.48. KLA has a 12-month low of $609.40 and a 12-month high of $896.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $100.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.72, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a current ratio of 2.36, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.73 by $0.47. KLA had a net margin of 29.58% and a return on equity of 108.60%. As a group, equities analysts predict that KLA will post 31.59 earnings per share for the current year.

KLA Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th will be paid a dividend of $1.70 per share. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.90%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 24th. KLA’s payout ratio is currently 28.60%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in KLA in the third quarter worth about $29,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in KLA by 300.0% in the fourth quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 48 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC purchased a new position in KLA in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in KLA in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Groupama Asset Managment raised its holdings in KLA by 82.3% in the third quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 4,515 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 2,038 shares during the last quarter. 86.65% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.