Columbus Macro LLC Raises Stake in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Columbus Macro LLC increased its holdings in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 479.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,689 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after buying an additional 4,708 shares during the quarter. Columbus Macro LLC’s holdings in KLA were worth $3,585,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in KLA in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in shares of KLA in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in KLA in the third quarter valued at about $53,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in KLA in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $56,000. Finally, Prospera Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of KLA during the third quarter valued at $58,000. Institutional investors own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. StockNews.com downgraded KLA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of KLA from $759.00 to $864.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on KLA from $795.00 to $870.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Barclays increased their price target on shares of KLA from $700.00 to $760.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of KLA from $665.00 to $780.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, KLA has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $831.68.

KLA Trading Up 0.3 %

NASDAQ:KLAC opened at $740.21 on Tuesday. KLA Co. has a 52-week low of $595.86 and a 52-week high of $896.32. The company has a quick ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 2.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $675.96 and a 200-day simple moving average of $716.33. The company has a market capitalization of $99.01 billion, a PE ratio of 31.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.28.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.73 by $0.47. KLA had a return on equity of 108.60% and a net margin of 29.58%. On average, equities research analysts expect that KLA Co. will post 30.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were given a dividend of $1.70 per share. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.92%. This is a positive change from KLA’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.45. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. KLA’s payout ratio is presently 28.60%.

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.