KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) have earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-two ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and thirteen have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $804.57.

Several brokerages have recently commented on KLAC. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of KLA from $765.00 to $800.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Argus increased their price objective on KLA from $800.00 to $875.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on KLA from $950.00 to $870.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Evercore ISI upped their target price on KLA from $800.00 to $900.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of KLA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, August 29th.

KLA Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of KLAC stock opened at $673.61 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 2.15 and a quick ratio of 1.50. The business has a 50-day moving average of $769.09 and a 200 day moving average of $764.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $90.69 billion, a PE ratio of 35.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.27. KLA has a 1-year low of $452.01 and a 1-year high of $896.32.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The semiconductor company reported $6.60 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.15 by $0.45. KLA had a return on equity of 103.50% and a net margin of 28.15%. The firm had revenue of $2.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.52 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $5.40 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that KLA will post 29.13 earnings per share for the current year.

KLA Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 15th were issued a $1.45 dividend. This represents a $5.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 15th. KLA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.38%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Virendra A. Kirloskar sold 825 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $649.84, for a total value of $536,118.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 4,231 shares in the company, valued at $2,749,473.04. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other KLA news, EVP Mary Beth Wilkinson sold 2,611 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $652.17, for a total transaction of $1,702,815.87. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,298 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,063,876.66. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Virendra A. Kirloskar sold 825 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $649.84, for a total value of $536,118.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 4,231 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,749,473.04. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 20,873 shares of company stock worth $14,532,193 over the last three months. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On KLA

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Family Firm Inc. bought a new stake in shares of KLA in the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. Cedar Wealth Management LLC grew its position in KLA by 77.3% in the 1st quarter. Cedar Wealth Management LLC now owns 39 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares during the period. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in KLA during the 2nd quarter valued at $44,000. LRI Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of KLA during the 1st quarter valued at $46,000. Finally, Olistico Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of KLA during the 2nd quarter valued at $53,000. 86.65% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

KLA Company Profile

KLA Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, manufacture, and marketing of 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 and Component Inspection.