KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) Shares Sold by Janney Montgomery Scott LLC

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lessened its holdings in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 51.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 38,415 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 40,550 shares during the quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC’s holdings in KLA were worth $24,207,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of KLAC. CVA Family Office LLC raised its holdings in KLA by 3.7% during the third quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 366 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $283,000 after purchasing an additional 13 shares in the last quarter. Marcum Wealth LLC raised its stake in KLA by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Marcum Wealth LLC now owns 384 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $297,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its position in KLA by 1.1% in the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 1,433 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,110,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in KLA by 0.4% in the third quarter. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,466 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $3,459,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI grew its holdings in shares of KLA by 2.8% during the third quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 582 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $451,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

KLA Stock Down 1.5 %

Shares of KLA stock opened at $749.82 on Friday. KLA Co. has a twelve month low of $581.70 and a twelve month high of $896.32. The stock has a market cap of $100.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a current ratio of 2.13, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $663.74 and a 200 day moving average price of $723.76.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The semiconductor company reported $7.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.03 by $0.30. The business had revenue of $2.84 billion during 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 revenue for the quarter was up 18.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $5.74 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that KLA Co. will post 30.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a $1.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This is an increase from KLA’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.45. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.91%. KLA’s dividend payout ratio is 31.05%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on KLAC shares. Susquehanna raised their price target on KLA from $620.00 to $655.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating and set a $925.00 target price on shares of KLA in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of KLA from $746.00 to $703.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on shares of KLA from $760.00 to $725.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of KLA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, KLA has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $806.35.

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.