KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) Shares Acquired by Argus Investors Counsel Inc.

Argus Investors Counsel Inc. increased its holdings in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 5.1% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 788 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Argus Investors Counsel Inc.’s holdings in KLA were worth $497,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Swedbank AB grew its stake in shares of KLA by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 550,949 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $426,660,000 after purchasing an additional 2,019 shares during the period. Diversify Advisory Services LLC grew its position in KLA by 22.7% during the fourth quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 648 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $443,000 after buying an additional 120 shares during the period. Community Financial Services Group LLC increased its holdings in KLA by 538.5% in the third quarter. Community Financial Services Group LLC now owns 7,445 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $5,765,000 after buying an additional 6,279 shares in the last quarter. Eastern Bank boosted its stake in shares of KLA by 655.8% during the 3rd quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 27,368 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $21,194,000 after acquiring an additional 23,747 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ING Groep NV boosted its stake in shares of KLA by 52.4% during the 3rd quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 79,763 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $61,769,000 after acquiring an additional 27,436 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

KLA Price Performance

KLA stock opened at $759.15 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 2.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $101.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.92, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.28. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $680.23 and a 200-day moving average of $715.91. KLA Co. has a 52-week low of $595.86 and a 52-week high of $896.32.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 108.60% and a net margin of 29.58%. As a group, analysts predict that KLA Co. will post 30.8 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KLAC has been the subject of several research reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on KLA from $703.00 to $748.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday. Oppenheimer raised KLA from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $750.00 to $850.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of KLA from $665.00 to $780.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on KLA from $795.00 to $870.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, StockNews.com cut KLA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.