Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA Invests $142,000 in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA bought a new stake in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 220 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock, valued at approximately $142,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of KLAC. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund boosted its holdings in KLA by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund now owns 27,402 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $17,267,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Delta Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of KLA in the 4th quarter worth $254,000. Howard Capital Management Inc. grew its position in KLA by 22.4% in the 4th quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 15,132 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $9,535,000 after purchasing an additional 2,771 shares during the period. Sigma Planning Corp increased its stake in KLA by 6.5% during the 4th quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 772 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $486,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Navellier & Associates Inc. raised its holdings in KLA by 12.0% during the fourth quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. now owns 2,583 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,628,000 after buying an additional 277 shares during the last quarter. 86.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on shares of KLA from $725.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Susquehanna increased their price objective on KLA from $620.00 to $655.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on KLA from $795.00 to $870.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group upped their price target on KLA from $665.00 to $780.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on KLA from $759.00 to $864.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $831.68.

KLA Trading Down 1.7 %

NASDAQ:KLAC opened at $724.97 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $711.58 and its 200 day moving average is $715.70. KLA Co. has a 12 month low of $609.40 and a 12 month high of $896.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $96.34 billion, a PE ratio of 30.49, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 issued its earnings results 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%. Sell-side analysts expect that KLA Co. will post 31.59 earnings per share for the current year.

KLA Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be paid a $1.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 24th. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.94%. KLA’s payout ratio is 28.60%.

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.