Ossiam Purchases 43,046 Shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Ossiam boosted its holdings in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 131.2% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 75,851 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after buying an additional 43,046 shares during the period. KLA makes up 1.6% of Ossiam’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest position. Ossiam’s holdings in KLA were worth $47,795,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Tortoise Investment Management LLC boosted 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 purchasing an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC bought a new stake in shares of KLA in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in KLA during the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD lifted its holdings in KLA by 160.0% in the fourth quarter. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD now owns 65 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. Finally, Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA purchased a new position in KLA in the fourth quarter worth about $43,000. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 7,008 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 28,798 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,867,606.76. This trade represents a 19.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

KLA Price Performance

KLAC stock opened at $634.43 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $84.31 billion, a PE ratio of 26.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.37. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $695.14 and its 200-day moving average price is $690.92. KLA Co. has a one year low of $551.33 and a one year high of $896.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a current ratio of 2.36.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.20 EPS 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%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that KLA Co. will post 31.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

KLA Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a dividend of $1.70 per share. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.07%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. KLA’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.60%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on KLAC. Needham & Company LLC boosted their target price on shares of KLA from $800.00 to $830.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of KLA from $700.00 to $760.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Oppenheimer decreased their target price on KLA from $850.00 to $700.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Morgan Stanley raised KLA from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $748.00 to $870.00 in a report on Monday, March 31st. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price objective on KLA from $910.00 to $800.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, KLA presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $814.11.

KLA 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.