Berbice Capital Management LLC Takes Position in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Berbice Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 870 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock, valued at approximately $548,000. KLA comprises approximately 0.4% of Berbice Capital Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 28th largest position.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KLAC. CVA Family Office LLC boosted its position in shares of KLA by 3.7% in the third quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 366 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $283,000 after acquiring an additional 13 shares during the period. Marcum Wealth LLC raised its stake in KLA by 4.1% in the third quarter. Marcum Wealth LLC now owns 384 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $297,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its stake in KLA by 1.1% in the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 1,433 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,110,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in KLA by 0.4% during the third quarter. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,466 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $3,459,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI lifted its holdings in shares of KLA by 2.8% in the third quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 582 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $451,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. 86.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

KLA Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of KLA stock opened at $755.15 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. The stock has a market capitalization of $101.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.27. KLA Co. has a 52-week low of $581.70 and a 52-week high of $896.32. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $661.42 and its 200 day simple moving average is $723.50.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The semiconductor company reported $7.33 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.03 by $0.30. KLA had a return on equity of 105.16% and a net margin of 28.92%. The business had revenue of $2.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.75 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $5.74 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 18.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that KLA Co. will post 30.34 EPS for the current year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a $1.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.90%. This is a positive change from KLA’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.45. KLA’s dividend payout ratio is currently 31.05%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of KLA from $800.00 to $795.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 13th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of KLA from $746.00 to $703.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Needham & Company LLC raised shares of KLA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $750.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, January 13th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $925.00 target price on shares of KLA in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Susquehanna increased their target price on shares of KLA from $620.00 to $655.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $806.35.

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.