Generali Asset Management SPA SGR Takes Position in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Generali Asset Management SPA SGR acquired a new stake in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 3,971 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,502,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of KLAC. Swedbank AB lifted its position in KLA by 0.4% in the third 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. United Bank bought a new position in KLA in the third quarter worth $339,000. AMG National Trust Bank lifted its position in KLA by 142.4% in the third quarter. AMG National Trust Bank now owns 686 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $532,000 after purchasing an additional 403 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC lifted its position in KLA by 39.8% in the third quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 1,293 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,001,000 after purchasing an additional 368 shares during the period. Finally, Pathstone Holdings LLC lifted its position in KLA by 2.1% in the third quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 17,764 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $13,756,000 after purchasing an additional 367 shares during the period. 86.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on KLA from $759.00 to $864.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on KLA from $800.00 to $825.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on KLA from $725.00 to $850.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on KLA from $703.00 to $748.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price objective on KLA from $800.00 to $875.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $830.67.

KLA Price Performance

Shares of KLAC stock opened at $719.61 on Thursday. KLA Co. has a 12 month low of $609.40 and a 12 month high of $896.32. 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 cap of $95.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.26, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.30. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $728.45 and a 200 day moving average price of $704.50.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.20 earnings per share 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%. Research analysts expect that KLA Co. will post 31.59 EPS for the current year.

KLA Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a $1.70 dividend. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.94%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. KLA’s payout ratio is 28.60%.

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.