Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. Sells 5,108 Shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. reduced its stake in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 6.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 73,979 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 5,108 shares during the period. Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. owned 0.06% of KLA worth $46,615,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of KLAC. Mizuho Securities USA LLC raised its position in KLA by 32,828.8% during the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 3,419,000 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $2,647,708,000 after purchasing an additional 3,408,617 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its position in KLA by 114,444.5% during the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 342,488 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $215,809,000 after purchasing an additional 342,189 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP raised its position in shares of KLA by 10,766.7% in the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 228,200 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $176,720,000 after acquiring an additional 226,100 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of KLA in the 4th quarter worth about $142,221,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its position in shares of KLA by 84.2% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 441,053 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $277,916,000 after acquiring an additional 201,649 shares in the last quarter. 86.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KLAC has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Barclays lifted their price objective on KLA from $700.00 to $760.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Needham & Company LLC lifted their price objective on KLA from $800.00 to $830.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com lowered KLA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on KLA from $759.00 to $864.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on KLA from $800.00 to $825.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, KLA currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $831.68.

KLA Price Performance

KLAC stock opened at $680.39 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $90.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a current ratio of 2.36. KLA Co. has a 52-week low of $609.40 and a 52-week high of $896.32. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $724.79 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $707.91.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.20 earnings per share 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%. Research analysts expect that KLA Co. will post 31.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

KLA Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a $1.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $6.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.00%. KLA’s payout ratio is presently 28.60%.

KLA Company 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.