Barclays Raises KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) Price Target to $760.00

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) had its target price lifted by Barclays from $700.00 to $760.00 in a research report sent to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. Barclays currently has an equal weight rating on the semiconductor company’s stock.

A number of other brokerages have also recently issued reports on KLAC. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $925.00 price objective on shares of KLA in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on KLA from $746.00 to $703.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Susquehanna lifted their price objective on KLA from $620.00 to $655.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Oppenheimer raised KLA from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $750.00 to $850.00 in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Needham & Company LLC lifted their price objective on KLA from $800.00 to $830.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, KLA has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $829.32.

KLA Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of KLAC stock opened at $738.24 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $98.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.27. KLA has a one year low of $581.70 and a one year high of $896.32. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $675.96 and a 200 day moving average price of $716.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65, a current ratio of 2.13 and a quick ratio of 1.48.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.20 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. Analysts predict that KLA will post 30.34 earnings per share for the current year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were given a $1.70 dividend. This represents a $6.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.92%. This is a positive change from KLA’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.45. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. KLA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.05%.

Institutional Trading of KLA

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KLAC. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of KLA during the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Groupama Asset Managment grew its position in shares of KLA by 82.3% during the 3rd 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 period. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in shares of KLA during the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA acquired a new position in shares of KLA during the 4th quarter worth about $43,000. Finally, Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of KLA during the 4th quarter worth about $47,000. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.