KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) Receives $804.57 Consensus Price Target from Analysts

KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) has been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-two research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and thirteen have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $804.57.

KLAC has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of KLA from $765.00 to $800.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Oppenheimer began coverage on KLA in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $750.00 price target on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $925.00 price objective on shares of KLA in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. TD Cowen increased their target price on KLA from $700.00 to $760.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of KLA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 29th.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Virendra A. Kirloskar sold 825 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $649.84, for a total value of $536,118.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 4,231 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,749,473.04. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, EVP Mary Beth Wilkinson sold 2,611 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $652.17, for a total transaction of $1,702,815.87. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 9,298 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,063,876.66. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Virendra A. Kirloskar sold 825 shares of KLA stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $649.84, for a total transaction of $536,118.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 4,231 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,749,473.04. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 20,873 shares of company stock valued at $14,532,193 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On KLA

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Capital Market Strategies LLC boosted its holdings in KLA by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Capital Market Strategies LLC now owns 808 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $666,000 after acquiring an additional 13 shares during the period. CVA Family Office LLC increased its stake in KLA by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 366 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $283,000 after buying an additional 13 shares during the period. HBW Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in KLA by 2.6% during the 2nd quarter. HBW Advisory Services LLC now owns 548 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $452,000 after buying an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. TIAA Trust National Association boosted its position in KLA by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. TIAA Trust National Association now owns 3,249 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,679,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the period. Finally, United Community Bank grew its stake in shares of KLA by 4.0% in the first quarter. United Community Bank now owns 390 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $272,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. 86.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

KLA Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of KLAC opened at $678.52 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $770.77 and its 200-day moving average price is $764.33. The company has a quick ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 2.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75. The company has a market capitalization of $91.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.54, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.27. KLA has a 52 week low of $452.01 and a 52 week high of $896.32.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The semiconductor company reported $6.60 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.15 by $0.45. KLA had a return on equity of 103.50% and a net margin of 28.15%. The business had revenue of $2.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.52 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $5.40 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that KLA will post 29.13 EPS for the current year.

KLA Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 15th were paid a dividend of $1.45 per share. This represents a $5.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 15th. KLA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.38%.

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.