79,248 KLA Corporation $KLAC Shares Sold by Candriam S.C.A.

Candriam S.C.A. lessened its stake in KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 10.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 681,613 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 79,248 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A. owned about 0.05% of KLA worth $133,352,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in shares of KLA by 928.9% in the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 14,821,622 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $4,471,832,000 after purchasing an additional 13,381,153 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in KLA in the second quarter valued at $2,522,430,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its position in shares of KLA by 239.3% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 5,614,990 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,094,530,000 after acquiring an additional 3,959,927 shares during the period. National Pension Service boosted its stake in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in KLA in the 3rd quarter worth about $377,898,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at KLA

In related news, CEO Richard Wallace sold 87,568 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.95, for a total transaction of $17,421,653.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 778,944 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $154,970,908.80. The trade was a 10.11% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Brian Lorig sold 59,586 shares of KLA 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 77,681 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,167,746.53. The trade was a 43.41% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 219,173 shares of company stock valued at $42,201,914 over the last three months. 79.39% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

KLA Stock Performance

NASDAQ:KLAC opened at $138.49 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $174.83 and a 200 day moving average price of $181.68. KLA Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $107.20 and a fifty-two week high of $307.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 1.86 and a current ratio of 2.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $180.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.62, a PEG ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.49.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The semiconductor company reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.18 by $0.04. KLA had a return on equity of 89.30% and a net margin of 36.25%. The company had revenue of $4.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.04 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $8.47 EPS. KLA’s revenue was up 28.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that KLA Corporation will post 5.73 EPS for the current year.

KLA Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 16th will be issued a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 16th. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. KLA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 23.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on KLAC. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $225.00 price objective on shares of KLA in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $230.00 target price on shares of KLA in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $210.00 target price (up from $200.00) on shares of KLA in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $180.00 price target (down from $190.00) on shares of KLA in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised KLA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $220.35.

KLA News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting KLA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: KLA declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.23 per share, payable December 1 to shareholders of record November 16. The dividend provides a modest return to shareholders. KLA Declares Regular Cash Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: A bullish analysis highlights KLA’s strong quarterly results, AI-related demand, expanding margins, and upbeat guidance, including projected year-over-year revenue growth of 43% and EPS growth above 60% in the next quarter. KLA: Unfairly Caught Up In The Tech Carnage
• Positive Sentiment: Exchange-traded funds bought $52.3 million of KLAC shares on November 3, indicating institutional fund demand. ETFs Bought $52.3 Million of KLAC
• Neutral Sentiment: A report on a $17 billion hedge fund returning cash after a poor month discusses ownership and positioning in AI-chip stocks, including KLA. It may contribute to volatility, but does not by itself establish a change in KLA’s business outlook. Hedge Fund Returns Cash After Worst Month Since 2020
• Negative Sentiment: Unusually high put-option buying suggests some investors are hedging against, or betting on, downside in KLAC, a potentially bearish near-term signal. KLA Stock Sees Unusually High Put Option Buying

KLA 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.