E Fund Management Co. Ltd. Raises Stock Holdings in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

E Fund Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 3.0% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 39,345 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,149 shares during the quarter. KLA accounts for 1.2% of E Fund Management Co. Ltd.’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest position. E Fund Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in KLA were worth $24,792,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of KLA during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in KLA in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Groupama Asset Managment lifted its position in KLA by 82.3% in the third quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 4,515 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 2,038 shares during the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in shares of KLA in the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA purchased a new position in shares of KLA during the 4th quarter worth about $43,000. Institutional investors own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

KLA Stock Up 2.4 %

Shares of KLAC opened at $715.81 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $95.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.10, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.28. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $720.01 and its 200-day moving average price is $712.45. The company has a quick ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 2.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. KLA Co. has a 52 week low of $609.40 and a 52 week high of $896.32.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last issued its quarterly 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, sell-side analysts predict that KLA Co. will post 31.59 EPS for the current year.

KLA Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a $1.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.95%. KLA’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.60%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price objective on KLA from $800.00 to $875.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com cut KLA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on KLA from $725.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Susquehanna upped their target price on KLA from $620.00 to $655.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on KLA from $703.00 to $748.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Seven 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 stock currently has an average 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.