KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) Stock Holdings Lifted by Aviva PLC

Aviva PLC raised its position in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 14.1% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 52,652 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after buying an additional 6,507 shares during the period. Aviva PLC’s holdings in KLA were worth $33,177,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in KLAC. Hutchens & Kramer Investment Management Group LLC raised its stake in shares of KLA by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Hutchens & Kramer Investment Management Group LLC now owns 411 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $259,000 after acquiring an additional 13 shares in the last quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in KLA by 5.9% in the 4th quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 253 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $160,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. raised its holdings in KLA by 6.5% in the 4th quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 246 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $155,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the period. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC lifted its position in KLA by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC now owns 755 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $476,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TFB Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in KLA by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. TFB Advisors LLC now owns 489 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $308,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares during the period. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 7,008 shares of KLA stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $724.62, for a total transaction of $5,078,136.96. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 28,798 shares in the company, valued at $20,867,606.76. The trade was a 19.57 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on KLAC. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $725.00 price target (down from $875.00) on shares of KLA in a report on Friday, March 28th. 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 report on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of KLA from $795.00 to $870.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Needham & Company LLC lifted their price objective on KLA from $800.00 to $830.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on KLA from $700.00 to $760.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $832.17.

KLA Trading Down 7.1 %

KLAC opened at $576.53 on Monday. KLA Co. has a 1-year low of $546.54 and a 1-year high of $896.32. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $716.60 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $699.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $76.61 billion, a PE ratio of 24.24, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.37. 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.20 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 anticipate that KLA Co. will post 31.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

KLA Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were given a $1.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $6.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.18%. 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.