Analysts Set KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) Price Target at $727.15

KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-one brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $727.15.

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of KLA in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $800.00 target price on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on KLA from $560.00 to $640.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Bank of America increased their price target on KLA from $740.00 to $850.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of KLA from $550.00 to $630.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of KLA from $605.00 to $760.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Oreste Donzella sold 3,257 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $697.85, for a total value of $2,272,897.45. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 16,922 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,809,017.70. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 14,009 shares of KLA stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $716.63, for a total value of $10,039,269.67. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 93,142 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $66,748,351.46. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Oreste Donzella sold 3,257 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 16,922 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,809,017.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 24,284 shares of company stock valued at $17,260,138. Insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On KLA

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KLAC. Fortitude Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in shares of KLA in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in KLA in the third quarter valued at $26,000. Operose Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of KLA during the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of KLA during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Finally, Cedar Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of KLA by 77.3% in the 1st quarter. Cedar Wealth Management LLC now owns 39 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

KLA Trading Up 0.9 %

KLAC opened at $771.71 on Friday. KLA has a 52 week low of $404.80 and a 52 week high of $778.43. The company has a quick ratio of 1.46, a current ratio of 2.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $698.44 and a 200-day simple moving average of $632.03. The firm has a market cap of $103.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.42, a P/E/G ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 1.33.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The semiconductor company reported $5.26 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.94 by $0.32. The company had revenue of $2.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.31 billion. KLA had a return on equity of 102.37% and a net margin of 27.19%. KLA’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $5.49 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that KLA will post 23.3 earnings per share for the current year.

KLA Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 31st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be paid a $1.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 14th. This represents a $5.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.75%. KLA’s dividend payout ratio is presently 30.38%.

About KLA

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.