IFP Advisors Inc Acquires 214 Shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

IFP Advisors Inc raised its holdings in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 5.8% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 3,880 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after buying an additional 214 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc’s holdings in KLA were worth $2,444,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Hutchens & Kramer Investment Management Group LLC grew its stake in shares of KLA by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Hutchens & Kramer Investment Management Group LLC now owns 411 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $259,000 after acquiring an additional 13 shares in the last quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in shares of KLA by 5.9% in the 4th quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 253 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $160,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. grew its stake in shares of KLA by 6.5% in the 4th quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 246 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $155,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of KLA by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC now owns 755 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $476,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of KLA by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 1,433 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,110,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on KLAC. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price 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. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of KLA from $703.00 to $748.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Susquehanna boosted their price target on shares of KLA from $620.00 to $655.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of KLA from $665.00 to $780.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, TD Cowen cut their price target on shares of KLA from $760.00 to $725.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Seven 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, KLA has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $831.68.

KLA Price Performance

NASDAQ KLAC opened at $724.97 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $96.34 billion, a PE ratio of 30.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.28. KLA Co. has a 52 week low of $609.40 and a 52 week high of $896.32. The company has a quick ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 2.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $711.58 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $715.70.

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, topping 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%. Research analysts predict that KLA Co. will post 31.59 earnings per share for the current year.

KLA Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be issued a $1.70 dividend. This represents a $6.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 24th. KLA’s payout ratio is 28.60%.

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.