KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) Shares Sold by Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc.

Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. decreased its holdings in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 60.0% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 324 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 486 shares during the quarter. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc.’s holdings in KLA were worth $204,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KLAC. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in KLA in the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in KLA in the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Groupama Asset Managment grew its position in KLA by 82.3% in the third quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 4,515 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 2,038 shares during the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in KLA in the third quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA acquired a new position in KLA in the fourth quarter worth approximately $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KLAC has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered shares of KLA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of KLA from $665.00 to $780.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of KLA from $795.00 to $870.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. 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 research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of KLA from $800.00 to $825.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, KLA currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $831.68.

KLA Stock Performance

KLAC opened at $711.29 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $722.21 and a 200-day moving average of $710.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a current ratio of 2.36. KLA Co. has a 52-week low of $609.40 and a 52-week high of $896.32. The company has a market cap of $94.52 billion, a PE ratio of 29.91, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that KLA Co. will post 31.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

KLA Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were given a dividend of $1.70 per share. This represents a $6.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.96%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. KLA’s dividend payout ratio is 28.60%.

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.