Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd Grows Stock Holdings in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd grew its stake in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 18.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 16,716 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,626 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd’s holdings in KLA were worth $10,533,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in KLA in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Groupama Asset Managment boosted its position in shares of KLA by 82.3% during the 3rd quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 4,515 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 2,038 shares during the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of KLA in the third quarter valued at about $38,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in KLA during the third quarter worth about $53,000. Finally, Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in KLA during the third quarter worth about $56,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

KLA Stock Performance

Shares of KLAC stock opened at $747.70 on Friday. KLA Co. has a 52 week low of $608.16 and a 52 week high of $896.32. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $685.36 and a two-hundred day moving average of $716.53. The company has a quick ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 2.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $100.01 billion, a PE ratio of 31.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.28.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.73 by $0.47. KLA had a return on equity of 108.60% and a net margin of 29.58%. On average, research analysts predict that KLA Co. will post 30.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on KLAC. Oppenheimer raised shares of KLA from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the company from $750.00 to $850.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. StockNews.com cut KLA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on KLA from $725.00 to $850.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on KLA from $759.00 to $864.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Needham & Company LLC boosted their price objective on shares of KLA from $800.00 to $830.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, KLA presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $831.68.

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.