KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) Rating Reiterated by Cantor Fitzgerald

Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated their neutral rating on shares of KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) in a report issued on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a $950.00 price objective on the semiconductor company’s stock.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Raymond James upped their target price on KLA from $750.00 to $875.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Friday, June 7th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of KLA from $700.00 to $760.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a report on Thursday. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of KLA from $760.00 to $980.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Monday, July 15th. StockNews.com cut shares of KLA from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of KLA from $860.00 to $950.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Monday, June 17th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $806.24.

KLA Price Performance

Shares of KLAC opened at $787.39 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 2.15 and a quick ratio of 1.46. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $809.47 and its 200-day moving average price is $717.98. KLA has a 1-year low of $440.15 and a 1-year high of $896.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $106.01 billion, a PE ratio of 41.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 1.27.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The semiconductor company reported $6.60 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.52 billion. KLA’s quarterly revenue was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $5.40 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that KLA will post 29.09 EPS for the current year.

KLA Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th were given a dividend of $1.45 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 14th. This represents a $5.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.74%. KLA’s payout ratio is 30.38%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 14,009 shares of KLA stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $716.63, for a total transaction of $10,039,269.67. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 93,142 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $66,748,351.46. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, insider Ahmad A. Khan sold 7,833 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $760.00, for a total value of $5,953,080.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 32,105 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,399,800. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 14,009 shares of KLA stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $716.63, for a total transaction of $10,039,269.67. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 93,142 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $66,748,351.46. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 22,905 shares of company stock worth $16,831,966. Insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Capital Market Strategies LLC raised its holdings in shares of KLA by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. Capital Market Strategies LLC now owns 808 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $666,000 after buying an additional 13 shares during the period. HBW Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in KLA by 2.6% during the second quarter. HBW Advisory Services LLC now owns 548 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $452,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the period. United Community Bank lifted its position in shares of KLA by 4.0% during the first quarter. United Community Bank now owns 390 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $272,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. AA Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of KLA by 2.7% in the second quarter. AA Financial Advisors LLC now owns 567 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $467,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the period. Finally, Greystone Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of KLA by 1.4% in the first quarter. Greystone Financial Group LLC now owns 1,173 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $819,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.