KLA Corporation $KLAC Shares Purchased by Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC

Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC grew its position in shares of KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 919.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 31,249 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after acquiring an additional 28,185 shares during the quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC’s holdings in KLA were worth $9,428,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Allied Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in KLA in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Roble Belko & Company Inc boosted its position in KLA by 2,275.0% during the 2nd quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 95 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the period. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in KLA by 900.0% in the second quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 100 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. Basepoint Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of KLA during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Triumph Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of KLA in the third quarter worth about $40,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other KLA news, CEO Richard Wallace sold 87,568 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $198.95, for a total transaction of $17,421,653.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 778,944 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $154,970,908.80. This trade represents a 10.11% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP MaryBeth Wilkinson sold 14,392 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.30, for a total transaction of $4,106,037.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 53,367 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,225,605.10. The trade was a 21.24% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold a total of 258,533 shares of company stock worth $55,977,470 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 91.48% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KLAC has been the topic of several recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $230.00 price target on shares of KLA in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $210.00 target price (up from $200.00) on shares of KLA in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $180.00 target price (up from $170.00) on shares of KLA in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $260.00 price target (up from $200.00) on shares of KLA in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $253.00 price target on shares of KLA in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, KLA presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $222.22.

KLA Price Performance

KLAC stock opened at $188.98 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $201.39 and its two-hundred day moving average is $189.49. KLA Corporation has a 52-week low of $91.02 and a 52-week high of $307.37. The company has a market capitalization of $246.91 billion, a PE ratio of 51.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a quick ratio of 2.03, a current ratio of 2.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The semiconductor company reported $1.05 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.05. KLA had a return on equity of 87.66% and a net margin of 35.57%.The company had revenue of $3.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.61 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.94 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 15.2% on a year-over-year basis. KLA has set its Q1 2027 guidance at 1.060-1.260 EPS. Analysts predict that KLA Corporation will post 5.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 17th were paid a dividend of $0.23 per share. This is a positive change from KLA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 17th. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. KLA’s payout ratio is currently 25.07%.

About KLA

KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) develops process-control and yield-management technologies used by semiconductor and other advanced-electronics manufacturers. Its systems help customers detect, measure and analyze defects and variations during the production of integrated circuits, enabling manufacturers to improve process performance, product quality and manufacturing yields.

The company’s portfolio includes wafer and reticle inspection systems, metrology and measurement tools, defect-review and analysis equipment, and software that supports process control and data management.