Knowledge Leaders Capital LLC Sells 70 Shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Knowledge Leaders Capital LLC trimmed its position in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 3.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,221 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 70 shares during the period. KLA comprises 2.0% of Knowledge Leaders Capital LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Knowledge Leaders Capital LLC’s holdings in KLA were worth $1,291,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KLAC. AdvisorNet Financial Inc lifted its position in shares of KLA by 29.3% in the 4th quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 75 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares during the period. West Paces Advisors Inc. increased its stake in KLA by 8.8% during the 4th quarter. West Paces Advisors Inc. now owns 210 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $122,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of KLA by 4.7% in the third quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 466 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $214,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the period. Journey Advisory Group LLC increased its stake in shares of KLA by 4.4% in the third quarter. Journey Advisory Group LLC now owns 502 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $230,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the period. Finally, Drive Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of KLA by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC now owns 507 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $295,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the period. 86.65% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other KLA news, EVP Oreste Donzella sold 3,257 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $697.85, for a total value of $2,272,897.45. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,922 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,809,017.70. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 7,018 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $705.04, for a total transaction of $4,947,970.72. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 32,375 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,825,670. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Oreste Donzella sold 3,257 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $697.85, for a total transaction of $2,272,897.45. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,922 shares in the company, valued at $11,809,017.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

KLA Trading Up 4.9 %

Shares of KLAC traded up $33.31 during trading on Friday, reaching $706.26. 1,193,523 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 821,545. KLA Co. has a twelve month low of $369.00 and a twelve month high of $729.15. The stock has a market cap of $95.51 billion, a PE ratio of 37.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.36 and a beta of 1.34. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $685.41 and a 200-day simple moving average of $599.79. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The semiconductor company reported $5.26 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.94 by $0.32. KLA had a net margin of 27.19% and a return on equity of 103.31%. The firm had revenue of $2.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.31 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $5.49 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that KLA Co. will post 22.61 earnings per share for the current year.

KLA Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 19th were issued a $1.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 15th. This represents a $5.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.82%. KLA’s payout ratio is 30.38%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on KLAC shares. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of KLA from $700.00 to $725.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Susquehanna reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $675.00 price target on shares of KLA in a report on Monday, April 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of KLA in a report on Thursday, April 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $800.00 price target on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price target on shares of KLA from $625.00 to $800.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, April 8th. Finally, Raymond James reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $750.00 price target (up from $625.00) on shares of KLA in a report on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, KLA presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $720.42.

KLA Company Profile

KLA Corporation designs, manufactures, and markets 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, Display and Component Inspection.