KLA Corporation $KLAC Shares Bought by Quintet Private Bank Europe S.A.

Quintet Private Bank Europe S.A. grew its position in shares of KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 212.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 175,162 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after buying an additional 119,190 shares during the quarter. KLA makes up about 1.6% of Quintet Private Bank Europe S.A.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest holding. Quintet Private Bank Europe S.A.’s holdings in KLA were worth $34,144,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in shares of KLA by 928.9% in the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 14,821,622 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $4,471,832,000 after acquiring an additional 13,381,153 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in KLA during the 2nd quarter worth $2,522,430,000. National Pension Service boosted its holdings in KLA by 899.4% during the second quarter. National Pension Service now owns 3,634,859 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,096,673,000 after acquiring an additional 3,271,158 shares during the period. NEOS Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in KLA by 987.0% during the 2nd quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC now owns 979,371 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $295,486,000 after purchasing an additional 889,269 shares during the period. Finally, Railway Pension Investments Ltd boosted its position in shares of KLA by 960.4% in the second quarter. Railway Pension Investments Ltd now owns 926,652 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $279,580,000 after acquiring an additional 839,265 shares during the period. 86.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $225.00 target price on shares of KLA in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Scotiabank set a $200.00 target price on shares of KLA in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $230.00 target price on shares of KLA in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. UBS Group dropped their price target on KLA from $215.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, September 1st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $250.00 target price on shares of KLA and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Eighteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $221.26.

KLA Trading Down 0.9%

KLA stock traded down $1.82 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $195.01. 3,169,746 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 11,069,603. KLA Corporation has a 52 week low of $98.10 and a 52 week high of $307.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $254.49 billion, a PE ratio of 53.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a quick ratio of 2.03, a current ratio of 2.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $187.46 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $195.32.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The semiconductor company reported $1.05 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.05. KLA had a return on equity of 87.66% and a net margin of 35.57%.The business had revenue of $3.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.61 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.94 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. KLA has set its Q1 2027 guidance at 1.060-1.260 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that KLA Corporation will post 5.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 17th were given a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 17th. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. This is an increase from KLA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. KLA’s payout ratio is presently 25.07%.

Insider Transactions at KLA

In other news, CAO Virendra Kirloskar sold 4,504 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.50, for a total value of $880,532.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 7,972 shares in the company, valued at $1,558,526. This trade represents a 36.10% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP MaryBeth Wilkinson sold 13,802 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $195.50, for a total value of $2,698,291.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 22,110 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,322,505. This represents a 38.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 243,339 shares of company stock valued at $46,903,454. 79.39% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

KLA Profile

KLA Corporation (NASDAQ: KLAC) develops process-control and yield-management solutions used by semiconductor and electronics manufacturers. Its systems help customers detect defects, measure and analyze materials and structures, and monitor manufacturing processes throughout the production of integrated circuits and other advanced electronic components.

The company’s product portfolio includes inspection and metrology systems, wafer and reticle inspection equipment, process-control software, data analytics tools, and related services.