Paradiem LLC Increases Position in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Paradiem LLC raised its holdings in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 33.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 9,905 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after buying an additional 2,474 shares during the period. KLA comprises approximately 1.7% of Paradiem LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest position. Paradiem LLC’s holdings in KLA were worth $6,241,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of KLA by 2.5% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,979,293 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $4,630,424,000 after purchasing an additional 145,317 shares during the period. Mizuho Securities USA LLC boosted its holdings in shares of KLA by 32,828.8% in the third quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 3,419,000 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,647,708,000 after purchasing an additional 3,408,617 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of KLA by 3.0% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,221,694 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,487,971,000 after purchasing an additional 93,743 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its holdings in shares of KLA by 25.7% in the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,399,367 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,083,684,000 after purchasing an additional 286,015 shares during the period. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc boosted its holdings in shares of KLA by 1.9% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,163,958 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $959,695,000 after purchasing an additional 21,412 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

KLA Price Performance

NASDAQ:KLAC opened at $771.91 on Thursday. KLA Co. has a one year low of $581.70 and a one year high of $896.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a current ratio of 2.13. The firm has a market cap of $103.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.25, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.27. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $658.87 and its two-hundred day moving average is $723.16.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The semiconductor company reported $7.33 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $2.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.75 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $5.74 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 18.5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that KLA Co. will post 30.34 EPS for the current year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a dividend of $1.70 per share. This is a positive change from KLA’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.45. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.88%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. KLA’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.05%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on KLAC shares. Oppenheimer upgraded KLA from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $750.00 to $850.00 in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Barclays lowered their target price on KLA from $750.00 to $700.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 17th. Needham & Company LLC upgraded KLA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $750.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, January 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on KLA from $890.00 to $750.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on KLA from $665.00 to $780.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $806.35.

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.