B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG Invests $6.02 Million in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG bought a new stake in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund bought 7,771 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,018,000.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on KLA from $950.00 to $870.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on KLA from $760.00 to $725.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of KLA in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of KLA from $900.00 to $765.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. Finally, Susquehanna decreased their price objective 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. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $802.90.

KLA Price Performance

NASDAQ KLAC opened at $615.66 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $719.23 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $763.35. KLA Co. has a 52 week low of $527.11 and a 52 week high of $896.32. The stock has a market cap of $82.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a current ratio of 2.13, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $7.03 by $0.30. KLA had a return on equity of 105.16% and a net margin of 28.92%. The business had revenue of $2.84 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.75 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $5.74 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 18.5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that KLA Co. will post 30.91 EPS for the current year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be issued a dividend of $1.70 per share. This represents a $6.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.10%. This is a positive change from KLA’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.45. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. KLA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.48%.

About KLA

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.