Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ Has $59.79 Million Position in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ trimmed its holdings in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 12.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 94,406 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 13,290 shares during the quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ owned about 0.07% of KLA worth $59,787,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in KLAC. Swedbank AB lifted its stake in KLA by 0.4% during the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 550,949 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $426,660,000 after purchasing an additional 2,019 shares during the period. United Bank bought a new stake in KLA in the 3rd quarter valued at $339,000. Sigma Planning Corp lifted its position in KLA by 12.4% during the 3rd quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 725 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $561,000 after buying an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of KLA by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,307 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $3,335,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harbour Investments Inc. grew its stake in KLA by 6.3% in the 3rd quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 386 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $299,000 after buying an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. 86.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

KLA Stock Performance

Shares of KLAC stock opened at $680.39 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 2.36, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $724.79 and its 200-day simple moving average is $707.91. KLA Co. has a 12-month low of $609.40 and a 12-month high of $896.32. The company has a market cap of $90.41 billion, a PE ratio of 28.61, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.30.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.20 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.73 by $0.47. KLA had a return on equity of 108.60% and a net margin of 29.58%. Analysts expect that KLA Co. will post 31.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

KLA Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a dividend of $1.70 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $6.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.00%. KLA’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.60%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on KLAC. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of KLA from $703.00 to $748.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Needham & Company LLC raised their price target on shares of KLA from $800.00 to $830.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of KLA from $759.00 to $864.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Susquehanna raised their price target on shares of KLA from $620.00 to $655.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of KLA from $725.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, KLA currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $831.68.

About KLA

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.