Vista Investment Partners II LLC Makes New $3.63 Million Investment in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Vista Investment Partners II LLC purchased a new stake in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor purchased 5,764 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,632,000. KLA accounts for about 2.1% of Vista Investment Partners II LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 9th largest position.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of KLAC. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of KLA in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in KLA by 300.0% during the 4th quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 48 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in KLA during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Groupama Asset Managment lifted its stake in KLA by 82.3% during the 3rd quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 4,515 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 2,038 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in KLA during the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

KLA Stock Up 2.8 %

KLA stock opened at $711.29 on Monday. KLA Co. has a twelve month low of $609.40 and a twelve month high of $896.32. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $722.21 and a two-hundred day moving average of $710.04. The company has a current ratio of 2.36, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $94.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.91, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.30.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last posted 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, research analysts expect that KLA Co. will post 31.59 earnings per share for the current year.

KLA Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a $1.70 dividend. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. KLA’s payout ratio is currently 28.60%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on KLAC. Needham & Company LLC increased their target price on KLA from $800.00 to $830.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on KLA from $703.00 to $748.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group upped their price target on KLA from $665.00 to $780.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on KLA from $800.00 to $825.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price target on KLA from $800.00 to $875.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $831.68.

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.