KLA Corporation $KLAC Shares Newly Purchased by Ground Swell Capital LLC

Ground Swell Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 8,210 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,600,000. KLA comprises approximately 3.7% of Ground Swell Capital LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest position.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. McIlrath & Eck LLC increased its position in KLA by 6.8% in the 1st quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 94 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $139,000 after acquiring an additional 6 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its stake in shares of KLA by 36.4% in the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 60 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $88,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Capital Advisors Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of KLA by 2.2% in the third quarter. Capital Advisors Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,656 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $518,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of KLA by 3.7% during the third quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC now owns 1,923 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $375,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bullock Wealth Management Group lifted its position in shares of KLA by 3.1% during the third quarter. Bullock Wealth Management Group now owns 2,365 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $474,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at KLA

In other news, CEO Richard Wallace sold 72,019 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.88, for a total transaction of $12,378,625.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 706,925 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $121,506,269. This represents a 9.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 79.39% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

KLA Trading Down 3.2%

KLA stock traded down $4.98 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $152.32. 12,499,207 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 14,760,776. The stock has a market capitalization of $198.47 billion, a PE ratio of 38.08, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.49. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $172.99 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $181.71. The company has a quick ratio of 1.86, a current ratio of 2.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88. KLA Corporation has a 52 week low of $107.20 and a 52 week high of $307.37.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The semiconductor company reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.18 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $4.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.04 billion. KLA had a net margin of 36.25% and a return on equity of 89.30%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 28.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $8.47 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that KLA Corporation will post 5.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

KLA Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 16th will be paid a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 16th. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. KLA’s payout ratio is presently 23.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on KLAC. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $225.00 price objective on shares of KLA in a report on Monday, July 20th. Susquehanna lowered their target price on KLA from $215.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Wall Street Zen downgraded KLA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $230.00 target price on shares of KLA in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $225.00 price target on shares of KLA in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, KLA has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $220.35.

KLA Company Profile

KLA Corporation develops process-control and yield-management technologies used in the manufacture of semiconductors and other electronic products. Its systems help manufacturers detect defects, measure features and monitor production processes as they make increasingly complex devices. The company’s products include inspection and metrology equipment, as well as software and related services. Its technologies support multiple stages of semiconductor production, from work on wafers and reticles to advanced packaging.