KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) Upgraded at Oppenheimer

Oppenheimer upgraded shares of KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) from a market perform rating to an outperform rating in a report released on Thursday morning, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Oppenheimer currently has $850.00 target price on the semiconductor company’s stock, up from their prior target price of $750.00.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Susquehanna decreased their target price on KLA from $680.00 to $675.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Argus increased their price objective on shares of KLA from $800.00 to $875.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of KLA from $900.00 to $765.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 12th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of KLA from $765.00 to $800.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price objective on KLA from $700.00 to $760.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, KLA presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $802.90.

KLA Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of KLA stock opened at $669.38 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $744.15 and a 200 day moving average of $763.38. KLA has a 1 year low of $484.33 and a 1 year high of $896.32. The firm has a market cap of $89.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.57, a PEG ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65, a current ratio of 2.13 and a quick ratio of 1.50.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The semiconductor company reported $7.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.03 by $0.30. KLA had a net margin of 28.92% and a return on equity of 105.16%. The firm had revenue of $2.84 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.75 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $5.74 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 18.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that KLA will post 29.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at KLA

In related news, EVP Mary Beth Wilkinson sold 2,611 shares of KLA stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $652.17, for a total transaction of $1,702,815.87. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 9,298 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,063,876.66. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, EVP Mary Beth Wilkinson sold 2,611 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $652.17, for a total transaction of $1,702,815.87. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,298 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,063,876.66. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 17,437 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $705.01, for a total transaction of $12,293,259.37. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 105,329 shares in the company, valued at approximately $74,257,998.29. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 20,873 shares of company stock valued at $14,532,193 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of KLA

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Family Firm Inc. bought a new stake in KLA in the second quarter worth $30,000. Cedar Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of KLA by 77.3% in the 1st quarter. Cedar Wealth Management LLC now owns 39 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of KLA during the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of KLA in the 2nd quarter valued at about $44,000. Finally, LRI Investments LLC purchased a new position in KLA in the first quarter worth about $46,000. Institutional investors own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

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.