New York State Common Retirement Fund Trims Position in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

New York State Common Retirement Fund lessened its holdings in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 2.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 168,122 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 3,481 shares during the quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund owned approximately 0.13% of KLA worth $105,937,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of KLA during the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Groupama Asset Managment increased its holdings 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 worth $35,000 after buying an additional 2,038 shares during the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of KLA during the 3rd quarter worth $38,000. Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA acquired a new stake in shares of KLA during the 4th quarter worth $43,000. Finally, Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of KLA during the 4th quarter worth $47,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

KLA Stock Performance

Shares of KLAC stock opened at $774.75 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a current ratio of 2.36. KLA Co. has a one year low of $609.40 and a one year high of $896.32. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $701.40 and its 200-day simple moving average is $714.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $102.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.58, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.28.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.20 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.73 by $0.47. KLA had a net margin of 29.58% and a return on equity of 108.60%. Equities analysts anticipate that KLA Co. will post 31.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

KLA Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be issued a $1.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 24th. This represents a $6.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.88%. KLA’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.60%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on KLAC. StockNews.com downgraded KLA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on KLA from $795.00 to $870.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on KLA from $725.00 to $850.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Needham & Company LLC increased their price target on KLA from $800.00 to $830.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Oppenheimer upgraded 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 report on Thursday, October 31st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, KLA presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $831.68.

KLA Company Profile

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.