KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) Receives $832.17 Consensus Price Target from Analysts

Shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $832.17.

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on KLAC shares. Needham & Company LLC raised their target price on shares of KLA from $800.00 to $830.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on KLA from $795.00 to $870.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating and set a $725.00 price target (down previously from $875.00) on shares of KLA in a research report on Friday, March 28th. Barclays lifted their price objective on KLA from $700.00 to $760.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of KLA from $800.00 to $825.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st.

KLA Price Performance

KLAC opened at $656.76 on Tuesday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $707.15 and a 200 day moving average of $695.44. The stock has a market cap of $87.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.62, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a quick ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 2.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. KLA has a 52-week low of $551.33 and a 52-week high of $896.32.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.20 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that KLA will post 31.59 EPS for the current year.

KLA Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a dividend of $1.70 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.04%. KLA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.60%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 7,008 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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. This represents a 19.57 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of KLA

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. United Bank purchased a new position in KLA during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $339,000. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of KLA by 51.3% during the third quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 4,593 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $3,557,000 after purchasing an additional 1,558 shares during the last quarter. Insigneo Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in KLA during the third quarter valued at $302,000. Zacks Investment Management purchased a new stake in KLA in the third quarter valued at $554,000. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in KLA during the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. 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.