Machina Capital S.A.S. Makes New Investment in KLA Corporation $KLAC

Machina Capital S.A.S. acquired a new position in KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 19,314 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,765,000.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Silver Grove Financial Group Inc. raised its position in KLA by 16.5% in the third quarter. Silver Grove Financial Group Inc. now owns 3,164 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $617,000 after acquiring an additional 449 shares in the last quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund lifted its holdings in KLA by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 119,740 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $23,341,000 after acquiring an additional 4,950 shares during the last quarter. AMG National Trust Bank lifted its holdings in KLA by 11.6% in the 3rd quarter. AMG National Trust Bank now owns 5,033 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $981,000 after acquiring an additional 524 shares during the last quarter. Moneco Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of KLA by 10.6% during the 3rd quarter. Moneco Advisors LLC now owns 3,464 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $675,000 after purchasing an additional 333 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Keybank National Association OH boosted its position in shares of KLA by 15.0% during the 3rd quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 56,947 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $11,101,000 after purchasing an additional 7,445 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on KLAC. Zacks Research raised shares of KLA from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 30th. Susquehanna cut their target price on shares of KLA from $215.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $180.00 target price (up from $170.00) on shares of KLA in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating and set a $225.00 target price on shares of KLA in a report on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $220.00 price target on shares of KLA in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $220.35.

KLA Stock Up 5.2%

Shares of KLA stock opened at $161.01 on Thursday. KLA Corporation has a 12-month low of $107.20 and a 12-month high of $307.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $209.79 billion, a PE ratio of 40.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.49. The company has a quick ratio of 1.86, a current ratio of 2.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $173.70 and its 200-day moving average is $181.74.

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

KLA Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other KLA news, CEO Richard Wallace sold 72,019 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.88, for a total transaction of $12,378,625.72. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 706,925 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $121,506,269. This represents a 9.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 79.39% of the company’s stock.

About KLA

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.