KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) Given Hold Rating at Jefferies Financial Group

Jefferies Financial Group reissued their hold rating on shares of KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) in a report released on Friday morning, Marketbeat reports. The firm currently has a $725.00 target price on the semiconductor company’s stock, down from their previous target price of $875.00.

KLAC has been the subject of several other reports. Needham & Company LLC raised their price objective on KLA from $800.00 to $830.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of KLA from $759.00 to $864.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of KLA from $795.00 to $870.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of KLA from $703.00 to $748.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on shares of KLA from $700.00 to $760.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $825.39.

KLA Stock Down 3.8 %

NASDAQ:KLAC opened at $673.60 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.36, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. KLA has a twelve month low of $609.40 and a twelve month high of $896.32. The company has a market cap of $89.51 billion, a PE ratio of 28.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.30. The company’s 50 day moving average is $727.83 and its two-hundred day moving average is $703.11.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.20 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.73 by $0.47. KLA had a net margin of 29.58% and a return on equity of 108.60%. Analysts anticipate that KLA will post 31.59 EPS for the current year.

KLA Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a $1.70 dividend. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. KLA’s payout ratio is presently 28.60%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On KLA

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in KLAC. Norges Bank acquired a new position in KLA in the 4th quarter valued at $1,175,756,000. Parnassus Investments LLC raised its position in shares of KLA by 381.3% in the fourth quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC now owns 733,328 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $462,085,000 after buying an additional 580,967 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of KLA by 114,444.5% in the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 342,488 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $215,809,000 after buying an additional 342,189 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its stake in KLA by 33.7% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,191,262 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $750,638,000 after acquiring an additional 300,015 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors purchased a new stake in KLA during the 4th quarter valued at about $187,212,000. Hedge funds and other 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.