KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) Stake Trimmed by Systematic Alpha Investments LLC

Systematic Alpha Investments LLC reduced its stake in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 45.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,061 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 900 shares during the quarter. Systematic Alpha Investments LLC’s holdings in KLA were worth $669,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in KLA during the third quarter valued at about $29,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC bought a new stake in KLA during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in KLA in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Groupama Asset Managment increased its position 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 buying an additional 2,038 shares during the period. 86.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at KLA

In other news, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 7,008 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $724.62, for a total value of $5,078,136.96. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 28,798 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,867,606.76. This represents a 19.57 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KLAC has been the subject of a number of research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on shares of KLA from $725.00 to $850.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays lifted their target price on KLA from $700.00 to $760.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $725.00 price target (down previously from $875.00) on shares of KLA in a report on Friday, March 28th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on KLA from $795.00 to $870.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of KLA from $665.00 to $780.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, KLA presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $832.17.

KLA Trading Down 9.5 %

NASDAQ:KLAC opened at $620.82 on Friday. KLA Co. has a 1-year low of $593.70 and a 1-year high of $896.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $82.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.11, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.30. 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 business’s 50-day moving average price is $720.07 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $701.18.

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 net margin of 29.58% and a return on equity of 108.60%. On average, equities analysts expect that KLA Co. will post 31.59 earnings per share for the current year.

KLA Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a dividend of $1.70 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.10%. KLA’s payout ratio is presently 28.60%.

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.