Prospera Financial Services Inc Lowers Position in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Prospera Financial Services Inc decreased its stake in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 0.6% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 7,225 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 42 shares during the period. Prospera Financial Services Inc’s holdings in KLA were worth $5,596,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Capital Market Strategies LLC increased its holdings in KLA by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. Capital Market Strategies LLC now owns 808 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $666,000 after acquiring an additional 13 shares in the last quarter. CVA Family Office LLC increased its stake in shares of KLA by 3.7% in the third quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 366 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $283,000 after purchasing an additional 13 shares in the last quarter. HBW Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of KLA by 2.6% during the 2nd quarter. HBW Advisory Services LLC now owns 548 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $452,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the period. TIAA Trust National Association lifted its stake in shares of KLA by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. TIAA Trust National Association now owns 3,249 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,679,000 after buying an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AA Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in KLA by 2.7% in the 2nd quarter. AA Financial Advisors LLC now owns 567 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $467,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

KLA Stock Down 0.7 %

NASDAQ:KLAC opened at $615.66 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65, a current ratio of 2.13 and a quick ratio of 1.48. The firm has a market cap of $82.35 billion, a PE ratio of 28.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a 50-day moving average of $719.23 and a 200 day moving average of $763.35. KLA Co. has a 1-year low of $527.11 and a 1-year 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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.03 by $0.30. The company had revenue of $2.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.75 billion. KLA had a net margin of 28.92% and a return on equity of 105.16%. KLA’s revenue was up 18.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $5.74 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that KLA Co. will post 30.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th will be paid a dividend of $1.70 per share. This is a boost from KLA’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.45. This represents a $6.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.10%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. KLA’s dividend payout ratio is 26.48%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KLAC has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Citigroup lowered their price objective on KLA from $960.00 to $900.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 16th. StockNews.com raised KLA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price objective on shares of KLA from $890.00 to $750.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of KLA from $735.00 to $838.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, Argus raised their target price on shares of KLA from $800.00 to $875.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, KLA currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $802.90.

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.