KLA’s (KLAC) Hold Rating Reiterated at Jefferies Financial Group

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC)‘s stock had its “hold” rating reiterated by Jefferies Financial Group in a report issued on Friday, Marketbeat reports. They currently have a $725.00 price target on the semiconductor company’s stock, down from their prior price target of $875.00. Jefferies Financial Group’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 7.63% from the stock’s current price.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price target on shares of KLA from $800.00 to $875.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays raised their target price on shares of KLA from $700.00 to $760.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on KLA from $800.00 to $825.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Susquehanna raised their price objective on KLA from $620.00 to $655.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on KLA from $703.00 to $748.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $825.39.

KLA Price Performance

NASDAQ:KLAC opened at $673.60 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $89.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.30. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $727.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $703.04. KLA has a one year low of $609.40 and a one year high of $896.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 2.36 and a quick ratio of 1.63.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.20 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.73 by $0.47. KLA had a return on equity of 108.60% and a net margin of 29.58%. Equities analysts expect that KLA will post 31.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at KLA

In related news, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 7,008 shares of KLA stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $724.62, for a total value of $5,078,136.96. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 28,798 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,867,606.76. The trade was a 19.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.12% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd bought a new position in KLA during the fourth quarter worth $450,000. DSG Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in KLA during the 4th quarter worth about $852,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of KLA by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 22,131 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $13,945,000 after acquiring an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. PKO Investment Management Joint Stock Co bought a new position in shares of KLA in the 4th quarter worth about $5,356,000. Finally, Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH boosted its position in shares of KLA by 14.3% during the 4th quarter. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH now owns 6,400 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $4,033,000 after purchasing an additional 803 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

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.