Strategic Advocates LLC Invests $1.72 Million in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Strategic Advocates LLC purchased a new stake in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm purchased 2,729 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,720,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of KLA in the third quarter worth $29,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in shares of KLA in the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of KLA in the 3rd quarter valued at about $53,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of KLA during the third quarter worth about $56,000. Finally, Prospera Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in KLA in the third quarter worth about $58,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

KLA Stock Performance

Shares of KLAC opened at $742.43 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $99.31 billion, a PE ratio of 33.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a quick ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 2.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $671.76 and a 200 day moving average price of $718.50. KLA Co. has a 52-week low of $581.70 and a 52-week high of $896.32.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.20 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.73 by $0.47. KLA had a net margin of 28.92% and a return on equity of 105.16%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that KLA Co. will post 30.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a $1.70 dividend. This is a positive change from KLA’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.45. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.92%. KLA’s dividend payout ratio is 31.05%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. StockNews.com downgraded KLA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on KLA from $800.00 to $795.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of KLA from $750.00 to $700.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $925.00 price target on shares of KLA in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of KLA from $746.00 to $703.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, KLA has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $812.47.

KLA 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.