Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund Purchases 500 Shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund raised its position in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 1.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 27,402 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund’s holdings in KLA were worth $17,267,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Delta Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of KLA in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $254,000. Howard Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in KLA by 22.4% during the 4th quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 15,132 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $9,535,000 after purchasing an additional 2,771 shares during the last quarter. Sigma Planning Corp boosted its position in KLA by 6.5% during the fourth quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 772 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $486,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the period. Navellier & Associates Inc. boosted its position in KLA by 12.0% during the fourth quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. now owns 2,583 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,628,000 after purchasing an additional 277 shares during the period. Finally, Greystone Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of KLA by 16.2% in the fourth quarter. Greystone Financial Group LLC now owns 1,401 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $883,000 after purchasing an additional 195 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

KLA Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:KLAC opened at $754.30 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $708.55 and a 200-day moving average of $715.96. KLA Co. has a 12 month low of $609.40 and a 12 month high of $896.32. 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 $100.24 billion, a PE ratio of 31.72, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.28.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 29.58% and a return on equity of 108.60%. On average, equities research analysts predict that KLA Co. will post 31.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

KLA Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th will be paid a $1.70 dividend. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.90%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 24th. KLA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.60%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on KLAC shares. Needham & Company LLC raised their target price on shares of KLA from $800.00 to $830.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of KLA from $795.00 to $870.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Susquehanna upped their target price on KLA from $620.00 to $655.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on KLA from $725.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, TD Cowen decreased 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. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, KLA presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.