Waverly Advisors LLC Boosts Position in KLA Corporation $KLAC

Waverly Advisors LLC lifted its position in KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 1,226.1% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 17,677 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after buying an additional 16,344 shares during the period. Waverly Advisors LLC’s holdings in KLA were worth $5,333,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of KLAC. Allied Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of KLA during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. 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 purchased a new position in shares of KLA during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new stake in KLA in the 3rd quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of KLA during the fourth quarter valued at about $41,000. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $253.00 price target on shares of KLA in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating and set a $225.00 target price on shares of KLA in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $195.00 price objective (down from $220.00) on shares of KLA in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. UBS Group decreased their price target on KLA from $215.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, September 1st. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and set a $325.00 target price on shares of KLA in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $222.22.

Insider Buying and Selling at KLA

In other KLA news, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 27,701 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $265.69, for a total transaction of $7,359,878.69. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 263,472 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $70,001,875.68. This trade represents a 9.51% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Brian Lorig sold 59,586 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 77,681 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,167,746.53. The trade was a 43.41% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 213,413 shares of company stock valued at $45,990,744. Corporate insiders own 91.48% of the company’s stock.

KLA Trading Down 3.1%

NASDAQ:KLAC opened at $177.18 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $231.49 billion, a PE ratio of 48.32, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.45. KLA Corporation has a 52-week low of $93.75 and a 52-week high of $307.37. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $198.56 and its 200 day moving average price is $189.93. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The semiconductor company reported $1.05 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.00 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $3.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.61 billion. KLA had a return on equity of 87.66% and a net margin of 35.57%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.94 earnings per share. KLA has set its Q1 2027 guidance at 1.060-1.260 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that KLA Corporation will post 5.42 EPS for the current year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 17th were paid a $0.23 dividend. This is a boost from KLA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 17th. KLA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.