Flputnam Investment Management Co. Trims Holdings in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Flputnam Investment Management Co. cut its stake in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 74.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,058 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 11,607 shares during the quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co.’s holdings in KLA were worth $2,557,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Mizuho Securities USA LLC increased its position in KLA by 32,828.8% during the third quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 3,419,000 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $2,647,708,000 after purchasing an additional 3,408,617 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of KLA by 114,444.5% in the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 342,488 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $215,809,000 after buying an additional 342,189 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its position in shares of KLA by 25.7% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,399,367 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,083,684,000 after buying an additional 286,015 shares during the period. Two Sigma Advisers LP lifted its holdings in KLA by 10,766.7% in the third quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 228,200 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $176,720,000 after acquiring an additional 226,100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in KLA by 84.2% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 441,053 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $277,916,000 after acquiring an additional 201,649 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

KLA Stock Performance

NASDAQ:KLAC opened at $708.84 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $94.20 billion, a PE ratio of 29.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 2.36 and a quick ratio of 1.63. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $716.87 and its 200 day moving average price is $714.86. KLA Co. has a 12 month low of $609.40 and a 12 month high of $896.32.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.20 EPS for the quarter, beating 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that KLA Co. will post 31.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

KLA Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be issued a $1.70 dividend. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.96%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 24th. KLA’s payout ratio is 28.60%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. StockNews.com lowered KLA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price 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. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of KLA from $703.00 to $748.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of KLA from $665.00 to $780.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on KLA from $725.00 to $850.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $831.68.

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.