Catalina Capital Group LLC Lowers Stake in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Catalina Capital Group LLC decreased its position in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 7.2% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 428 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 33 shares during the quarter. Catalina Capital Group LLC’s holdings in KLA were worth $270,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KLAC. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in KLA during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Groupama Asset Managment increased its stake in KLA by 82.3% during the 3rd quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 4,515 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 2,038 shares during the period. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in KLA during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in KLA in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Finally, Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of KLA in the third quarter worth $56,000. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

KLA Trading Up 0.3 %

KLAC opened at $740.21 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $99.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.28. KLA Co. has a 52 week low of $595.86 and a 52 week high of $896.32. The business’s 50 day moving average is $675.96 and its two-hundred day moving average is $716.33. The company has a quick ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 2.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.20 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.73 by $0.47. KLA had a net margin of 29.58% and a return on equity of 108.60%. On average, research analysts predict that KLA Co. will post 30.8 EPS 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 dividend of $1.70 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.92%. This is a positive change from KLA’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.45. KLA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.60%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently issued reports on KLAC shares. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on KLA from $703.00 to $748.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday. StockNews.com lowered KLA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Susquehanna boosted their price objective on KLA from $620.00 to $655.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on shares of KLA from $725.00 to $850.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their price target on shares of KLA from $760.00 to $725.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, KLA currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $831.68.

About KLA

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.