KLA Corporation $KLAC Shares Sold by State of Alaska Department of Revenue

State of Alaska Department of Revenue lessened its position in shares of KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 3.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 136,820 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 4,225 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue’s holdings in KLA were worth $26,669,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of KLA by 928.9% during the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 14,821,622 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $4,471,832,000 after buying an additional 13,381,153 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in KLA in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $2,522,430,000. National Pension Service boosted its position in KLA by 899.4% during the 2nd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 3,634,859 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,096,673,000 after acquiring an additional 3,271,158 shares during the last quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC boosted its position in KLA by 987.0% during the 2nd quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC now owns 979,371 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $295,486,000 after acquiring an additional 889,269 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Railway Pension Investments Ltd grew its stake in shares of KLA by 960.4% during the 2nd quarter. Railway Pension Investments Ltd now owns 926,652 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $279,580,000 after acquiring an additional 839,265 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other KLA news, EVP Brian Lorig sold 59,586 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.13, for a total value of $12,401,634.18. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 77,681 shares in the company, valued at $16,167,746.53. This trade represents a 43.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP MaryBeth Wilkinson sold 13,802 shares of KLA stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $195.50, for a total transaction of $2,698,291.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 22,110 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,322,505. This trade represents a 38.43% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 243,339 shares of company stock worth $46,903,454. 79.39% of the stock is owned by insiders.

KLA Stock Down 3.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:KLAC traded down $6.01 during trading on Thursday, hitting $172.80. 6,280,287 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 11,047,925. The stock has a market cap of $225.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.45. KLA Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $107.20 and a fifty-two week high of $307.37. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $187.68 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $196.64. The company has a current ratio of 2.88, a quick ratio of 2.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The semiconductor company reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.00 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $3.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.61 billion. KLA had a return on equity of 87.66% and a net margin of 35.57%. The business’s revenue was up 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.94 EPS. KLA has set its Q1 2027 guidance at 1.060-1.260 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that KLA Corporation will post 5.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 17th were given a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. This is an increase from KLA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 17th. KLA’s payout ratio is currently 25.07%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $195.00 price objective (down from $220.00) on shares of KLA in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Susquehanna set a $215.00 target price on shares of KLA and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $260.00 target price (up from $200.00) on shares of KLA in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of KLA in a research report on Wednesday, June 17th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of KLA from $215.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, September 1st. Eighteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, KLA presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $221.26.

KLA Company Profile

KLA Corporation (NASDAQ: KLAC) develops process-control and yield-management solutions used by semiconductor and electronics manufacturers. Its systems help customers detect defects, measure and analyze materials and structures, and monitor manufacturing processes throughout the production of integrated circuits and other advanced electronic components.

The company’s product portfolio includes inspection and metrology systems, wafer and reticle inspection equipment, process-control software, data analytics tools, and related services.