Rakuten Securities Inc. Increases Stake in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its stake in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 60.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 106 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. Rakuten Securities Inc.’s holdings in KLA were worth $67,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of KLA in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of KLA by 300.0% in the 4th quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 48 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in KLA in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD increased its stake in KLA by 160.0% in the 4th quarter. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD now owns 65 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in KLA in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $53,000. Institutional investors own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

KLA Trading Up 2.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ KLAC opened at $680.39 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $90.41 billion, a PE ratio of 28.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.30. 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 twelve month low of $609.40 and a twelve month high of $896.32. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $724.79 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $707.91.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last released its quarterly 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 108.60% and a net margin of 29.58%. Analysts expect that KLA Co. will post 31.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

KLA Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on KLAC. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on KLA from $759.00 to $864.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Susquehanna boosted 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. Barclays boosted their price target on KLA from $700.00 to $760.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group upped their price objective on KLA from $665.00 to $780.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, StockNews.com cut KLA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $831.68.

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.