Value Aligned Research Advisors LLC Raises Stake in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Value Aligned Research Advisors LLC grew its holdings in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 9,132 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after acquiring an additional 253 shares during the period. KLA comprises 1.8% of Value Aligned Research Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 11th biggest position. Value Aligned Research Advisors LLC’s holdings in KLA were worth $7,080,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC boosted its position in KLA by 65.9% in the 1st quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,289 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $900,000 after purchasing an additional 512 shares in the last quarter. Shell Asset Management Co. increased its holdings in KLA by 246.5% in the first quarter. Shell Asset Management Co. now owns 4,459 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $3,115,000 after buying an additional 3,172 shares in the last quarter. Fayez Sarofim & Co raised its position in shares of KLA by 35.6% in the first quarter. Fayez Sarofim & Co now owns 667 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $466,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares during the period. EntryPoint Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of KLA by 83.1% during the 1st quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 141 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $98,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Delap Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of KLA during the 1st quarter valued at about $323,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

KLA Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ KLAC opened at $615.66 on Wednesday. KLA Co. has a 1 year low of $527.11 and a 1 year high of $896.32. The company has a market capitalization of $82.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $717.28 and a 200-day simple moving average of $762.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65, a current ratio of 2.13 and a quick ratio of 1.48.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The semiconductor company reported $7.33 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.03 by $0.30. The business had revenue of $2.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.75 billion. KLA had a return on equity of 105.16% and a net margin of 28.92%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 18.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $5.74 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that KLA Co. will post 30.91 earnings per share for the current year.

KLA Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Citigroup lowered their price target on KLA from $960.00 to $900.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Susquehanna cut their price target on shares of KLA from $680.00 to $675.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 11th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of KLA from $800.00 to $900.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of KLA from $950.00 to $870.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on KLA from $800.00 to $750.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $802.90.

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.