Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC Buys 307 Shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 17.5% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 2,058 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after purchasing an additional 307 shares during the quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in KLA were worth $1,594,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of KLAC. Cedar Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in KLA by 77.3% in the first quarter. Cedar Wealth Management LLC now owns 39 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. Family Firm Inc. bought a new position in shares of KLA in the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of KLA during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $44,000. LRI Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of KLA during the first quarter worth approximately $45,000. Finally, Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new position in KLA in the second quarter valued at approximately $53,000. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at KLA

In related news, EVP Mary Beth Wilkinson sold 2,611 shares of KLA stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $652.17, for a total value of $1,702,815.87. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 9,298 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,063,876.66. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Mary Beth Wilkinson sold 2,611 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $652.17, for a total value of $1,702,815.87. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,298 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,063,876.66. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 17,437 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $705.01, for a total transaction of $12,293,259.37. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 105,329 shares in the company, valued at $74,257,998.29. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 20,873 shares of company stock worth $14,532,193 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

KLA Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of KLA stock opened at $666.16 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $89.69 billion, a PE ratio of 34.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.27. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $764.03 and its 200 day simple moving average is $764.02. 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 52-week low of $452.01 and a 52-week high of $896.32.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The semiconductor company reported $6.60 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.15 by $0.45. The business had revenue of $2.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.52 billion. KLA had a net margin of 28.15% and a return on equity of 103.50%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $5.40 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that KLA Co. will post 29.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

KLA Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 15th were given a dividend of $1.45 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 15th. This represents a $5.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.87%. KLA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.38%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

KLAC has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of KLA from $735.00 to $838.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $925.00 price objective on shares of KLA in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Oppenheimer started coverage on KLA in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $750.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on KLA from $950.00 to $870.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of KLA from $800.00 to $950.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $804.57.

About KLA

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.