KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) Stake Increased by Triodos Investment Management BV

Triodos Investment Management BV boosted its holdings in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 19.7% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 74,351 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after buying an additional 12,250 shares during the period. KLA comprises about 3.8% of Triodos Investment Management BV’s portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest position. Triodos Investment Management BV’s holdings in KLA were worth $46,850,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in KLA during the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of KLA by 300.0% in the 4th quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 48 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC purchased a new position in KLA in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of KLA during the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Groupama Asset Managment grew its position in KLA by 82.3% in the 3rd quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 4,515 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 2,038 shares in the last quarter. 86.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on KLAC. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on KLA from $795.00 to $870.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group increased their price objective on KLA from $665.00 to $780.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on KLA from $725.00 to $850.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Susquehanna raised their target price on shares of KLA from $620.00 to $655.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of KLA from $703.00 to $748.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $830.67.

KLA Stock Performance

NASDAQ:KLAC opened at $700.00 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $729.51 and its 200-day moving average is $703.36. The stock has a market cap of $93.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.30. KLA Co. has a 1-year low of $609.40 and a 1-year high of $896.32. The company has a current ratio of 2.36, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.20 EPS 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%. Equities research analysts anticipate that KLA Co. will post 31.59 earnings per share for the current year.

KLA Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a dividend of $1.70 per share. This represents a $6.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.97%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. KLA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.60%.

Insider Activity at KLA

In other KLA news, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 7,008 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $724.62, for a total value of $5,078,136.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 28,798 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,867,606.76. This represents a 19.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.12% of the stock is owned by insiders.

KLA 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.