Swiss National Bank Reduces Stock Holdings in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Swiss National Bank decreased its position in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 5.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 378,500 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 21,100 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank owned about 0.28% of KLA worth $238,500,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of KLAC. Swedbank AB lifted its stake in KLA by 0.4% in the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 550,949 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $426,660,000 after purchasing an additional 2,019 shares during the last quarter. United Bank purchased a new position in KLA in the third quarter valued at approximately $339,000. Sigma Planning Corp lifted its stake in KLA by 12.4% in the third quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 725 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $561,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in KLA by 3.7% in the third quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,307 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $3,335,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harbour Investments Inc. raised its holdings in KLA by 6.3% during the 3rd quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 386 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $299,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

KLA Stock Up 2.4 %

KLAC opened at $680.39 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $90.41 billion, a PE ratio of 28.61, a P/E/G 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 52 week low of $609.40 and a 52 week high of $896.32. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $724.79 and its 200 day simple moving average is $707.91.

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

KLA Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were given 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 28.60%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on KLAC shares. StockNews.com cut shares of KLA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of KLA from $665.00 to $780.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on shares of KLA from $725.00 to $850.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Needham & Company LLC boosted their target price on shares of KLA from $800.00 to $830.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Susquehanna boosted their target price on shares of KLA from $620.00 to $655.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $831.68.

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.