Great Lakes Advisors LLC Decreases Holdings in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Great Lakes Advisors LLC decreased its position in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 2.7% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 1,144 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 32 shares during the period. Great Lakes Advisors LLC’s holdings in KLA were worth $721,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of KLAC. Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its position in shares of KLA by 114,444.5% during the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 342,488 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $215,809,000 after purchasing an additional 342,189 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP raised its position in shares of KLA by 10,766.7% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 228,200 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $176,720,000 after purchasing an additional 226,100 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of KLA during the 4th quarter worth approximately $142,221,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its position in shares of KLA by 84.2% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 441,053 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $277,916,000 after purchasing an additional 201,649 shares during the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of KLA during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $128,482,000. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

KLA Price Performance

KLAC stock opened at $713.00 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $726.81 and a 200-day simple moving average of $705.71. The firm has a market cap of $94.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a current ratio of 2.36. KLA Co. has a 1 year low of $609.40 and a 1 year high of $896.32.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 predict that KLA Co. will post 31.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

KLA Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were given a dividend of $1.70 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $6.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.95%. KLA’s payout ratio is currently 28.60%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. StockNews.com downgraded KLA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Morgan Stanley boosted 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. Susquehanna boosted their price target on KLA from $620.00 to $655.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Needham & Company LLC boosted their price target on KLA from $800.00 to $830.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on KLA from $795.00 to $870.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $830.67.

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.