Ieq Capital LLC Reduces Holdings in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Ieq Capital LLC lessened its position in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 60.8% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 3,721 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 5,779 shares during the period. Ieq Capital LLC’s holdings in KLA were worth $2,345,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of KLA from $800.00 to $825.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of KLA from $700.00 to $760.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on KLA from $795.00 to $870.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on KLA from $703.00 to $748.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Susquehanna raised their price objective on shares of KLA from $620.00 to $655.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $831.68.

KLA Price Performance

NASDAQ:KLAC opened at $754.30 on Monday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $708.55 and its 200 day moving average price is $715.96. The firm has a market cap of $100.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.72, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.28. KLA Co. has a 52-week low of $609.40 and a 52-week high of $896.32. The company has a quick ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 2.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last announced its 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 net margin of 29.58% and a return on equity of 108.60%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that KLA Co. will post 31.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

KLA Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be given a dividend of $1.70 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 24th. This represents a $6.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.90%. KLA’s payout ratio is presently 28.60%.

KLA Company 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.