4,412 KLA Corporation $KLAC Shares Purchased by Cullinan Associates Inc.

Cullinan Associates Inc. raised its position in KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 7.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 64,055 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,412 shares during the period. KLA accounts for 0.9% of Cullinan Associates Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest position. Cullinan Associates Inc.’s holdings in KLA were worth $12,486,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Allied Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of KLA in the second quarter worth $27,000. Atomic Invest LLC raised its position in shares of KLA by 781.8% in the second quarter. Atomic Invest LLC now owns 97 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc raised its position in shares of KLA by 2,275.0% in the second quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 95 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in KLA by 900.0% during the second quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 100 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the period. Finally, Cherry Tree Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in KLA by 900.0% during the second quarter. Cherry Tree Wealth Management LLC now owns 120 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the period. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on KLAC. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and set a $200.00 target price (down from $270.00) on shares of KLA in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on KLA from $245.00 to $210.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Wall Street Zen upgraded KLA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday. BMO Capital Markets set a $133.00 price objective on KLA in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Finally, Argus reissued a “buy” rating and set a $225.00 price objective on shares of KLA in a report on Friday, October 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $220.35.

More KLA News

Here are the key news stories impacting KLA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: KLA declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.23 per share, payable December 1 to shareholders of record November 16. The dividend provides a modest return to shareholders. KLA Declares Regular Cash Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: A bullish analysis highlights KLA’s strong quarterly results, AI-related demand, expanding margins, and upbeat guidance, including projected year-over-year revenue growth of 43% and EPS growth above 60% in the next quarter. KLA: Unfairly Caught Up In The Tech Carnage
• Positive Sentiment: Exchange-traded funds bought $52.3 million of KLAC shares on November 3, indicating institutional fund demand. ETFs Bought $52.3 Million of KLAC
• Neutral Sentiment: A report on a $17 billion hedge fund returning cash after a poor month discusses ownership and positioning in AI-chip stocks, including KLA. It may contribute to volatility, but does not by itself establish a change in KLA’s business outlook. Hedge Fund Returns Cash After Worst Month Since 2020
• Negative Sentiment: Unusually high put-option buying suggests some investors are hedging against, or betting on, downside in KLAC, a potentially bearish near-term signal. KLA Stock Sees Unusually High Put Option Buying

Insider Buying and Selling

In other KLA news, EVP Brian Lorig sold 59,586 shares of KLA stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.13, for a total transaction of $12,401,634.18. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 77,681 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,167,746.53. This trade represents a 43.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 87,568 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.95, for a total transaction of $17,421,653.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 778,944 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $154,970,908.80. The trade was a 10.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 219,173 shares of company stock worth $42,201,914 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 79.39% of the company’s stock.

KLA Stock Performance

KLA stock opened at $138.49 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $174.83 and its 200-day moving average price is $181.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 1.86 and a current ratio of 2.76. The stock has a market cap of $180.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.49. KLA Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $107.20 and a fifty-two week high of $307.37.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.04 billion. KLA had a return on equity of 89.30% and a net margin of 36.25%. The company’s revenue was up 28.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $8.47 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that KLA Corporation will post 5.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

KLA Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. KLA’s dividend payout ratio is currently 23.00%.

KLA 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.