KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) Shares Bought by Nixon Peabody Trust Co.

Nixon Peabody Trust Co. grew its stake in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 4.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 705 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after buying an additional 29 shares during the quarter. Nixon Peabody Trust Co.’s holdings in KLA were worth $444,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of KLA in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Groupama Asset Managment raised its holdings in KLA by 82.3% in the 3rd quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 4,515 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 2,038 shares during the period. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in KLA in the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA acquired a new position in KLA in the 4th quarter worth about $43,000. Finally, Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. acquired a new position in KLA in the 4th quarter worth about $47,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

KLA Stock Performance

NASDAQ:KLAC opened at $708.84 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $716.87 and its 200 day moving average price is $715.41. 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. KLA Co. has a 12 month low of $609.40 and a 12 month high of $896.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 2.36 and a quick ratio of 1.63.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. 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 company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be issued a dividend of $1.70 per share. 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%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on KLAC. Susquehanna boosted their price objective on KLA from $620.00 to $655.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Needham & Company LLC upped their price target on KLA from $800.00 to $830.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group upped their price target on KLA from $665.00 to $780.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on KLA from $725.00 to $850.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on KLA from $759.00 to $864.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, KLA currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $831.68.

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.