Fisher Asset Management LLC Sells 27,388 Shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Fisher Asset Management LLC decreased its position in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 40.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 41,007 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 27,388 shares during the quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC’s holdings in KLA were worth $25,840,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in KLAC. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in KLA in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Groupama Asset Managment increased its stake in KLA by 82.3% in the 3rd quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 4,515 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 2,038 shares during the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in KLA in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA bought a new stake in KLA in the 4th quarter worth approximately $43,000. Finally, Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. bought a new stake in KLA in the 4th quarter worth approximately $47,000. Institutional investors own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have issued reports on KLAC. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on KLA from $725.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on KLA from $795.00 to $870.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on KLA from $703.00 to $748.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com downgraded KLA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Finally, Susquehanna boosted their target price on KLA from $620.00 to $655.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Seven research 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.com, KLA has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $831.68.

KLA Stock Performance

Shares of KLA stock opened at $691.15 on Tuesday. KLA Co. has a 52 week low of $609.40 and a 52 week high of $896.32. The company has a market capitalization of $91.84 billion, a PE ratio of 29.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.28. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $717.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $713.28. The company has a quick ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 2.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64.

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

KLA Dividend Announcement

The company 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. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 24th. KLA’s dividend payout ratio is 28.60%.

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.