KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) Shares Purchased by Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC

Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 0.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,401 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the period. KLA accounts for about 0.9% of Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in KLA were worth $10,335,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC acquired a new position in shares of KLA in the 4th quarter valued at $17,093,000. Allworth Financial LP raised its holdings in KLA by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 9,116 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $5,744,000 after buying an additional 485 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. lifted its position in KLA by 26.1% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 3,747 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,361,000 after buying an additional 775 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Capital Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in KLA by 54.4% during the fourth quarter. Legacy Capital Wealth Partners LLC now owns 511 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $322,000 after buying an additional 180 shares during the period. Finally, Everhart Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of KLA by 10.5% during the fourth quarter. Everhart Financial Group Inc. now owns 369 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $233,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. 86.65% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

KLA Trading Down 1.8 %

NASDAQ:KLAC opened at $750.74 on Friday. 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 Co. has a 1 year low of $609.40 and a 1 year high of $896.32. The stock has a market cap of $99.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.28. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $697.11 and a 200-day simple moving average of $714.99.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 108.60% and a net margin of 29.58%. As a group, analysts anticipate that KLA Co. will post 31.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

KLA Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 24th. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.91%. KLA’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.60%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on KLAC shares. StockNews.com cut shares of KLA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Oppenheimer raised KLA from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $750.00 to $850.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Susquehanna boosted their price objective on KLA from $620.00 to $655.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their target price on KLA from $800.00 to $875.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of KLA from $800.00 to $825.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $831.68.

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.