Weaver Capital Management LLC Sells 310 Shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Weaver Capital Management LLC trimmed its stake in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 20.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,220 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 310 shares during the quarter. Weaver Capital Management LLC’s holdings in KLA were worth $769,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of KLAC. Algert Global LLC bought a new stake in shares of KLA in the second quarter valued at about $239,000. Czech National Bank lifted its position in KLA by 6.7% during the third quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 27,383 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $21,206,000 after purchasing an additional 1,726 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in KLA by 28.2% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,698 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,315,000 after purchasing an additional 374 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co lifted its position in KLA by 8.5% during the third quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 4,327 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $3,351,000 after purchasing an additional 338 shares during the period. Finally, Miracle Mile Advisors LLC lifted its position in KLA by 5.2% during the third quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 347 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $269,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on KLAC. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on KLA from $795.00 to $870.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Barclays boosted their target price on KLA from $700.00 to $760.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on KLA from $759.00 to $864.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on KLA from $725.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their target price on KLA from $760.00 to $725.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, KLA presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $831.68.

KLA Price Performance

KLA stock opened at $749.32 on Wednesday. KLA Co. has a 52-week low of $595.86 and a 52-week high of $896.32. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $677.87 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $716.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a current ratio of 2.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $100.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.51, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.28.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, equities analysts predict that KLA Co. will post 30.8 earnings per share for the current year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were given a $1.70 dividend. This is a positive change from KLA’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.45. This represents a $6.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. KLA’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.