KLA Corporation $KLAC Stock Purchased by StoneX Group Inc.

StoneX Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 49.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 12,560 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after buying an additional 4,129 shares during the period. StoneX Group Inc.’s holdings in KLA were worth $2,414,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of KLAC. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its position in shares of KLA by 36.4% in the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 60 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $88,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Allied Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in KLA during the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. McIlrath & Eck LLC boosted its position in KLA by 6.8% during the first quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 94 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $139,000 after purchasing an additional 6 shares during the last quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc grew its stake in KLA by 2,275.0% in the second quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 95 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Atomic Invest LLC grew its stake in KLA by 781.8% in the second quarter. Atomic Invest LLC now owns 97 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on KLAC shares. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $180.00 price target (up from $170.00) on shares of KLA in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Truist Financial set a $225.00 price objective on KLA in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Susquehanna decreased their target price on shares of KLA from $215.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $230.00 target price on shares of KLA and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Finally, Argus reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $225.00 price target on shares of KLA in a research report on Friday, October 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, KLA has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $220.35.

KLA Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ KLAC opened at $138.49 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.86, a current ratio of 2.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $174.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $181.68. The company has a market cap of $180.45 billion, a PE ratio of 34.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.49. KLA Corporation has a twelve month low of $107.20 and a twelve month high of $307.37.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 28th. The semiconductor company reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.18 by $0.04. KLA had a return on equity of 89.30% and a net margin of 36.25%. The company had revenue of $4.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.04 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $8.47 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 28.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that KLA Corporation will post 5.73 EPS for the current year.

KLA Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 16th. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. KLA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling at KLA

In other news, EVP Brian Lorig sold 59,586 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.13, for a total value of $12,401,634.18. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 77,681 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,167,746.53. This represents a 43.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 72,019 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.88, for a total transaction of $12,378,625.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 706,925 shares in the company, valued at $121,506,269. The trade was a 9.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 219,173 shares of company stock valued at $42,201,914 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 79.39% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting KLA

Here are the key news stories impacting KLA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: KLA declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.23 per share, payable December 1 to shareholders of record November 16. The dividend provides a modest return to shareholders. KLA Declares Regular Cash Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: A bullish analysis highlights KLA’s strong quarterly results, AI-related demand, expanding margins, and upbeat guidance, including projected year-over-year revenue growth of 43% and EPS growth above 60% in the next quarter. KLA: Unfairly Caught Up In The Tech Carnage
• Positive Sentiment: Exchange-traded funds bought $52.3 million of KLAC shares on November 3, indicating institutional fund demand. ETFs Bought $52.3 Million of KLAC
• Neutral Sentiment: A report on a $17 billion hedge fund returning cash after a poor month discusses ownership and positioning in AI-chip stocks, including KLA. It may contribute to volatility, but does not by itself establish a change in KLA’s business outlook. Hedge Fund Returns Cash After Worst Month Since 2020
• Negative Sentiment: Unusually high put-option buying suggests some investors are hedging against, or betting on, downside in KLAC, a potentially bearish near-term signal. KLA Stock Sees Unusually High Put Option Buying

KLA Company Profile

KLA Corporation develops process-control and yield-management technologies used in the manufacture of semiconductors and other electronic products. Its systems help manufacturers detect defects, measure features and monitor production processes as they make increasingly complex devices.

The company’s products include inspection and metrology equipment, as well as software and related services. Its technologies support multiple stages of semiconductor production, from work on wafers and reticles to advanced packaging.