KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $722.26.

Several equities research analysts have commented on KLAC shares. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of KLA from $605.00 to $760.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 5th. StockNews.com upgraded KLA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Susquehanna reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $675.00 price target on shares of KLA in a research report on Monday, April 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on KLA from $560.00 to $640.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Finally, Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of KLA in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $800.00 target price for the company.

KLA Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ KLAC opened at $713.93 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $96.54 billion, a PE ratio of 37.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a current ratio of 2.14, a quick ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90. KLA has a 12-month low of $369.66 and a 12-month high of $729.15. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $686.46 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $603.00.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The semiconductor company reported $5.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.94 by $0.32. KLA had a return on equity of 102.37% and a net margin of 27.19%. The company had revenue of $2.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.31 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $5.49 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that KLA will post 22.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

KLA Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 19th were paid a $1.45 dividend. This represents a $5.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 15th. KLA’s dividend payout ratio is presently 30.38%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 7,018 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $705.04, for a total value of $4,947,970.72. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 32,375 shares in the company, valued at $22,825,670. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other KLA news, EVP Oreste Donzella sold 3,257 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $697.85, for a total transaction of $2,272,897.45. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 16,922 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,809,017.70. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 7,018 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $705.04, for a total transaction of $4,947,970.72. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 32,375 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,825,670. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On KLA

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of KLAC. Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new stake in shares of KLA during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in KLA in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. DSM Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of KLA in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Addison Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of KLA in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Operose Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of KLA during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. 86.65% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

KLA Company Profile

KLA Corporation designs, manufactures, and markets 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, Display and Component Inspection.