KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) Shares Bought by Natixis Advisors LLC

Natixis Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 1.6% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 132,051 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,044 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in KLA were worth $102,262,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Cedar Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in KLA by 77.3% in the first quarter. Cedar Wealth Management LLC now owns 39 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. Family Firm Inc. acquired a new position in shares of KLA in the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in shares of KLA in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in KLA during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $44,000. Finally, LRI Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of KLA during the 1st quarter worth $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

KLA Stock Down 4.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ:KLAC opened at $614.46 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a current ratio of 2.13. KLA Co. has a 52 week low of $527.11 and a 52 week high of $896.32. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $721.02 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $762.59. The company has a market capitalization of $82.19 billion, a PE ratio of 28.06, a PEG ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.29.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The semiconductor company reported $7.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.03 by $0.30. The company had revenue of $2.84 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.75 billion. KLA had a net margin of 28.92% and a return on equity of 105.16%. The firm’s revenue was up 18.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $5.74 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that KLA Co. will post 30.91 earnings per share for the current year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be given a dividend of $1.70 per share. This is a positive change from KLA’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.45. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.11%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. KLA’s dividend payout ratio is 26.48%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on KLAC shares. Argus raised their price target on KLA from $800.00 to $875.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of KLA from $800.00 to $750.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on KLA from $890.00 to $750.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $925.00 target price on shares of KLA in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of KLA from $800.00 to $900.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $802.90.

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.