GM Advisory Group LLC Has $2.26 Million Holdings in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

GM Advisory Group LLC lessened its stake in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 0.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,585 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 15 shares during the quarter. GM Advisory Group LLC’s holdings in KLA were worth $2,259,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of KLAC. Parnassus Investments LLC grew its position in KLA by 381.3% in the fourth quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC now owns 733,328 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $462,085,000 after acquiring an additional 580,967 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC grew its position in KLA by 114,444.5% in the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 342,488 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $215,809,000 after acquiring an additional 342,189 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP grew its position in KLA by 10,766.7% in the third quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 228,200 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $176,720,000 after acquiring an additional 226,100 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in KLA in the fourth quarter valued at about $142,221,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in KLA by 84.2% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 441,053 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $277,916,000 after acquiring an additional 201,649 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

KLA Price Performance

Shares of KLAC opened at $710.00 on Wednesday. KLA Co. has a 52-week low of $609.40 and a 52-week high of $896.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a current ratio of 2.36. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $727.78 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $704.39. The firm has a market cap of $94.35 billion, a PE ratio of 29.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.30.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.73 by $0.47. KLA had a return on equity of 108.60% and a net margin of 29.58%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that KLA Co. will post 31.59 EPS for the current 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. This represents a $6.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. KLA’s payout ratio is 28.60%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on KLAC. Needham & Company LLC lifted their target price on KLA from $800.00 to $830.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group boosted their price target on KLA from $665.00 to $780.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Barclays boosted their price target on KLA from $700.00 to $760.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on KLA from $795.00 to $870.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on KLA from $800.00 to $825.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, KLA currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.