KLA Corporation $KLAC Stock Holdings Increased by Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS

Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS grew its holdings in KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 90.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,600 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,600 shares during the period. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS’s holdings in KLA were worth $1,481,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA boosted its stake in shares of KLA by 5.3% during the 3rd quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 5,113,870 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $997,000,000 after acquiring an additional 256,716 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of KLA by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 27,569 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $5,374,000 after acquiring an additional 344 shares in the last quarter. OPTIMAS CAPITAL Ltd bought a new position in shares of KLA in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $2,060,000. May Hill Capital LLC lifted its holdings in KLA by 27.0% in the 3rd quarter. May Hill Capital LLC now owns 2,562 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $499,000 after purchasing an additional 545 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CenterBook Partners LP lifted its holdings in KLA by 1,205.2% in the 3rd quarter. CenterBook Partners LP now owns 68,290 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $13,312,000 after purchasing an additional 63,058 shares during the last quarter. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Brian Lorig sold 59,586 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 approximately $16,167,746.53. This trade represents a 43.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 72,019 shares of KLA stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.88, for a total value of $12,378,625.72. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 706,925 shares in the company, valued at approximately $121,506,269. This trade represents a 9.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 79.39% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on KLAC. Argus reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $225.00 target price on shares of KLA in a research report on Friday, October 30th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $230.00 price target on shares of KLA and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $185.00 price objective on shares of KLA in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $220.00 price objective on shares of KLA in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets set a $133.00 target price on shares of KLA in a report on Thursday, October 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, KLA currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $220.35.

KLA Stock Up 9.3%

Shares of KLAC stock opened at $151.38 on Tuesday. KLA Corporation has a 12 month low of $107.20 and a 12 month high of $307.37. The firm has a market cap of $197.24 billion, a PE ratio of 37.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 1.49. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $174.35 and a 200-day moving average of $181.67. The company has a quick ratio of 1.86, a current ratio of 2.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 28th. The semiconductor company reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.18 by $0.04. KLA had a net margin of 36.25% and a return on equity of 89.30%. The business had revenue of $4.14 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $8.47 earnings per share. KLA’s quarterly revenue was up 28.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that KLA Corporation will post 5.73 EPS for the current year.

KLA Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 16th will be given a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 16th. KLA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.00%.

KLA Company Profile

KLA Corporation develops process-control and yield-management technologies used in the manufacture of semiconductors and other electronic products. Its systems help manufacturers detect defects, measure features and monitor production processes as they make increasingly complex devices.

The company’s products include inspection and metrology equipment, as well as software and related services. Its technologies support multiple stages of semiconductor production, from work on wafers and reticles to advanced packaging.