Handelsbanken Fonder AB Acquires 5,975 Shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its holdings in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 10.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 65,003 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,975 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in KLA were worth $40,960,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of KLAC. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of KLA during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of KLA in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in KLA during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA purchased a new position in KLA during the fourth quarter valued at $43,000. Finally, Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in KLA in the third quarter worth $56,000. 86.65% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on KLA from $703.00 to $748.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of KLA from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $750.00 to $850.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of KLA from $795.00 to $870.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of KLA from $759.00 to $864.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price objective on shares of KLA from $800.00 to $875.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $831.68.

KLA Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:KLAC opened at $777.63 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $703.92 and its 200-day moving average price is $715.04. The company has a quick ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 2.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $103.34 billion, a PE ratio of 32.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.28. KLA Co. has a twelve month low of $609.40 and a twelve month high of $896.32.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.20 earnings per share 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%. Equities research analysts expect that KLA Co. will post 31.59 EPS for the current year.

KLA Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be paid a $1.70 dividend. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 24th. KLA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.60%.

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.