Analysts Set KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) Price Target at $806.24

KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-two analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and fourteen have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $805.29.

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on KLAC. Barclays boosted their target price on KLA from $765.00 to $800.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $950.00 target price on shares of KLA in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on KLA from $860.00 to $950.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, June 17th. StockNews.com upgraded KLA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on KLA from $692.00 to $698.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Brian Lorig sold 44 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $819.40, for a total transaction of $36,053.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,211 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,644,493.40. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Ahmad A. Khan sold 7,833 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $760.00, for a total transaction of $5,953,080.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 32,105 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,399,800. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Brian Lorig sold 44 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $819.40, for a total value of $36,053.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,211 shares in the company, valued at $11,644,493.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 8,896 shares of company stock worth $6,792,697. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On KLA

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC increased its position in KLA by 13.1% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 9,480 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $5,511,000 after buying an additional 1,096 shares during the period. Intact Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of KLA by 7.4% in the fourth quarter. Intact Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,450 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $843,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft bought a new position in shares of KLA in the fourth quarter worth $4,559,000. Meritage Portfolio Management grew its stake in shares of KLA by 6.8% in the fourth quarter. Meritage Portfolio Management now owns 26,626 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $15,478,000 after purchasing an additional 1,692 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. bought a new position in shares of KLA in the fourth quarter worth $811,000. 86.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

KLA Trading Up 1.1 %

NASDAQ KLAC opened at $703.48 on Thursday. KLA has a 12 month low of $440.15 and a 12 month high of $896.32. The company has a 50-day moving average of $808.65 and a 200-day moving average of $725.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 2.15 and a quick ratio of 1.50. The company has a market cap of $94.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.27.

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

KLA Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.45 per share. This represents a $5.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 15th. KLA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.38%.

KLA Company Profile

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.