Investment Analysts’ Weekly Ratings Updates for KLA (KLAC)

A number of firms have modified their ratings and price targets on shares of KLA (NASDAQ: KLAC) recently:

• 9/30/2024 – KLA had its price target lowered by analysts at Cantor Fitzgerald from $950.00 to $925.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.
• 9/25/2024 – KLA is now covered by analysts at Oppenheimer Holdings Inc.. They set a “market perform” rating and a $750.00 price target on the stock.
• 9/16/2024 – KLA had its price target lowered by analysts at Citigroup Inc. from $960.00 to $900.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
• 9/12/2024 – KLA had its price target lowered by analysts at UBS Group AG from $900.00 to $765.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.
• 8/29/2024 – KLA was downgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating.
• 8/5/2024 – KLA had its price target lowered by analysts at Citigroup Inc. from $990.00 to $960.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.

KLA Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of KLA stock traded down $3.02 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $774.34. 160,472 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 924,687. The firm has a market cap of $104.26 billion, a PE ratio of 40.56, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.28. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $768.31 and its 200 day moving average is $759.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.50 and a current ratio of 2.15. KLA Co. has a 1 year low of $449.35 and a 1 year high of $896.32.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The semiconductor company reported $6.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.15 by $0.45. The company had revenue of $2.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.52 billion. KLA had a net margin of 28.15% and a return on equity of 103.50%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $5.40 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that KLA Co. will post 29.09 earnings per share for the current year.

KLA Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 15th were paid a dividend of $1.45 per share. This represents a $5.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.75%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 15th. KLA’s payout ratio is 30.38%.

Insider Transactions at KLA

In other news, EVP Mary Beth Wilkinson sold 2,611 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $652.17, for a total transaction of $1,702,815.87. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 9,298 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,063,876.66. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 17,437 shares of KLA stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $705.01, for a total transaction of $12,293,259.37. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 105,329 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $74,257,998.29. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Mary Beth Wilkinson sold 2,611 shares of KLA stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $652.17, for a total transaction of $1,702,815.87. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,298 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,063,876.66. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 20,873 shares of company stock valued at $14,532,193. Company insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On KLA

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of KLAC. Family Firm Inc. acquired a new stake in KLA in the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. Cedar Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in KLA by 77.3% during the 1st quarter. Cedar Wealth Management LLC now owns 39 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in KLA during the 2nd quarter valued at about $44,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its holdings in shares of KLA by 2,033.3% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 64 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LRI Investments LLC purchased a new stake in KLA in the first quarter worth approximately $46,000. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

KLA Corporation designs, manufactures, and markets 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, Display and Component Inspection.