Patton Albertson Miller Group LLC Acquires 874 Shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Patton Albertson Miller Group LLC increased its holdings in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 6.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,547 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after buying an additional 874 shares during the period. KLA accounts for 1.3% of Patton Albertson Miller Group LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest position. Patton Albertson Miller Group LLC’s holdings in KLA were worth $9,797,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. CVA Family Office LLC grew its stake in KLA by 3.7% during 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 in the last quarter. Marcum Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of KLA by 4.1% during the 3rd 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. increased its holdings in shares of KLA by 1.1% in the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 1,433 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,110,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares during the period. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of KLA by 0.4% in the third quarter. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,466 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $3,459,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares during the period. Finally, Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI raised its position 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 buying an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

KLA Trading Down 1.5 %

NASDAQ:KLAC opened at $749.82 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $100.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.24, 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 company has a quick ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 2.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65. The company has a fifty day moving average of $666.45 and a 200 day moving average of $722.95.

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

KLA Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a $1.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.91%. This is a boost from KLA’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.45. KLA’s payout ratio is 31.05%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on KLAC shares. Needham & Company LLC upgraded KLA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $750.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on shares of KLA from $890.00 to $750.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. 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 research report on Thursday, December 5th. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of KLA from $750.00 to $700.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Susquehanna lifted their price objective on shares of KLA from $620.00 to $655.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, KLA presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $806.35.

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.