Geneos Wealth Management Inc. Raises Holdings in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 0.5% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 8,592 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc.’s holdings in KLA were worth $5,414,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of KLAC. CVA Family Office LLC raised its holdings in KLA by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 366 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $283,000 after buying an additional 13 shares during the period. Marcum Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of KLA by 4.1% during the third quarter. Marcum Wealth LLC now owns 384 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $297,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of KLA by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 1,433 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,110,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares during the period. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of KLA by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,466 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $3,459,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI boosted its position in shares of KLA by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 582 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $451,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

KLA Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ KLAC opened at $749.82 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $663.74 and its 200-day simple moving average is $723.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a current ratio of 2.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $100.30 billion, a PE ratio of 34.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.27. KLA Co. has a fifty-two week low of $581.70 and a fifty-two week high of $896.32.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The semiconductor company reported $7.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.03 by $0.30. The business had revenue of $2.84 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.75 billion. KLA had a net margin of 28.92% and a return on equity of 105.16%. The company’s revenue was up 18.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $5.74 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that KLA Co. will post 30.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a dividend of $1.70 per share. This is a positive change from KLA’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.45. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.91%. KLA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.05%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on KLA from $850.00 to $759.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on KLA from $800.00 to $795.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $925.00 target price on shares of KLA in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of KLA from $746.00 to $703.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of KLA from $750.00 to $700.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 17th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $806.35.

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.