Mathes Company Inc. Cuts Stake in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Mathes Company Inc. lessened its position in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 3.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,165 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 190 shares during the period. KLA comprises 1.4% of Mathes Company Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Mathes Company Inc.’s holdings in KLA were worth $3,885,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hutchens & Kramer Investment Management Group LLC grew its holdings in KLA by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Hutchens & Kramer Investment Management Group LLC now owns 411 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $259,000 after acquiring an additional 13 shares in the last quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in KLA by 5.9% during the 4th quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 253 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $160,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. grew its holdings in KLA by 6.5% during the 4th quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 246 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $155,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC grew its holdings in KLA by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC now owns 755 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $476,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in KLA by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 1,433 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,110,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

KLA Stock Performance

Shares of KLAC opened at $750.74 on Monday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $697.11 and a 200-day simple moving average of $714.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 2.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The company has a market capitalization of $99.77 billion, a PE ratio of 31.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.28. KLA Co. has a 52-week low of $609.40 and a 52-week high of $896.32.

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 net margin of 29.58% and a return on equity of 108.60%. Equities research analysts predict that KLA Co. will post 31.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

KLA Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be given a dividend of $1.70 per share. This represents a $6.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.91%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 24th. KLA’s payout ratio is currently 28.60%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

KLAC has been the subject of several analyst reports. StockNews.com cut shares of KLA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of KLA from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their target price for the company from $750.00 to $850.00 in a report on Thursday, October 31st. TD Cowen lowered their target price on shares of KLA from $760.00 to $725.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of KLA from $795.00 to $870.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Susquehanna upped their target price on shares of KLA from $620.00 to $655.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.