KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) Receives $832.17 Consensus Price Target from Brokerages

Shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the eighteen research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and twelve have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $818.28.

KLAC has been the subject of several analyst reports. Susquehanna lifted their price target on shares of KLA from $620.00 to $655.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on KLA from $795.00 to $870.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley raised KLA from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the company from $748.00 to $870.00 in a report on Monday, March 31st. Needham & Company LLC boosted their price objective on KLA from $800.00 to $830.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating and issued a $725.00 target price (down from $875.00) on shares of KLA in a research note on Friday, March 28th.

KLA Trading Down 0.0 %

Shares of KLAC opened at $669.97 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.36, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The stock has a market cap of $89.03 billion, a PE ratio of 28.17, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.37. KLA has a 1 year low of $551.33 and a 1 year high of $896.32. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $703.79 and a 200-day simple moving average of $693.18.

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, topping 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%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that KLA will post 31.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

KLA Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were paid 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 1.01%. KLA’s payout ratio is presently 28.60%.

Insider Buying and Selling at KLA

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On KLA

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of KLAC. United Bank acquired a new stake in KLA during the 3rd quarter worth $339,000. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC raised its position in shares of KLA by 51.3% during the third quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 4,593 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $3,557,000 after purchasing an additional 1,558 shares during the period. Insigneo Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of KLA during the 3rd quarter valued at about $302,000. Zacks Investment Management acquired a new position in shares of KLA in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $554,000. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in KLA during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Institutional investors own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

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.