KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) Receives $831.68 Average Price Target from Brokerages

Shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and thirteen have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $831.68.

A number of research firms recently weighed in on KLAC. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of KLA from $700.00 to $760.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Needham & Company LLC upped their price objective on shares of KLA from $800.00 to $830.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Oppenheimer raised shares of KLA from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $750.00 to $850.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of KLA from $759.00 to $864.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price objective on shares of KLA from $800.00 to $875.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st.

KLA Stock Down 3.0 %

Shares of KLAC opened at $754.30 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $100.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.28. KLA has a 12-month low of $609.40 and a 12-month high of $896.32. The company has a current ratio of 2.36, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $708.55 and a 200-day moving average price of $715.96.

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, 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 expect that KLA will post 31.59 earnings per share for the current year.

KLA Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be issued 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 dividend yield of 0.90%. KLA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.60%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On KLA

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Value Partners Investments Inc. purchased a new stake in KLA in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $154,000. Wormser Freres Gestion purchased a new stake in KLA in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $119,000. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. purchased a new stake in KLA in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $15,974,000. GTS Securities LLC boosted its position in KLA by 911.2% in the fourth quarter. GTS Securities LLC now owns 8,177 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $5,152,000 after buying an additional 9,185 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vise Technologies Inc. boosted its position in KLA by 71.9% in the fourth quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 1,160 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $731,000 after buying an additional 485 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

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.