China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. Reduces Stake in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. cut its position in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 32.8% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 6,307 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 3,078 shares during the period. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in KLA were worth $3,974,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of KLAC. Swedbank AB boosted its position in shares of KLA by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 550,949 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $426,660,000 after buying an additional 2,019 shares in the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC raised its position in KLA by 22.7% during the fourth quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 648 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $443,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. Community Financial Services Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of KLA by 538.5% in the third quarter. Community Financial Services Group LLC now owns 7,445 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $5,765,000 after purchasing an additional 6,279 shares in the last quarter. Eastern Bank grew its position in shares of KLA by 655.8% in the third quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 27,368 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $21,194,000 after purchasing an additional 23,747 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ING Groep NV increased its stake in shares of KLA by 52.4% during the 3rd quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 79,763 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $61,769,000 after purchasing an additional 27,436 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KLAC has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on KLA from $725.00 to $850.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price objective on KLA from $800.00 to $875.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of KLA from $700.00 to $760.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday. StockNews.com cut shares of KLA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of KLA from $665.00 to $780.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $829.32.

KLA Price Performance

KLA stock opened at $738.24 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 2.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $98.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.71, a PEG ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.27. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $673.99 and a 200-day moving average of $718.67. KLA Co. has a 52-week low of $581.70 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 the consensus estimate of $7.73 by $0.47. KLA had a return on equity of 105.16% and a net margin of 28.92%. As a group, analysts predict that KLA Co. will post 30.34 EPS for the current year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a $1.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This is an increase from KLA’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.45. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.92%. KLA’s dividend payout ratio is 31.05%.

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.