Achmea Investment Management B.V. Boosts Stock Position in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Achmea Investment Management B.V. increased its stake in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 2.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 92,838 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after buying an additional 2,027 shares during the period. KLA accounts for about 1.0% of Achmea Investment Management B.V.’s holdings, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Achmea Investment Management B.V.’s holdings in KLA were worth $58,500,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its stake in shares of KLA by 60.6% in the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 106 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $67,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. lifted its position in KLA by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 6,051 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $3,813,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. Essential Planning LLC. bought a new position in KLA in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $4,799,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position in KLA by 8.8% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 891 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $561,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in KLA by 29.3% in the 4th quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,661 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,677,000 after acquiring an additional 603 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

KLA Trading Up 2.4 %

Shares of KLAC stock opened at $680.39 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. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $724.79 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $707.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $90.41 billion, a PE ratio of 28.61, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.30. KLA Co. has a 52-week low of $609.40 and a 52-week high of $896.32.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.20 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, analysts predict that KLA Co. will post 31.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

KLA Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a dividend of $1.70 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $6.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.00%. KLA’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.60%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KLAC has been the topic of several analyst reports. UBS Group upped their price objective on KLA from $665.00 to $780.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. StockNews.com cut KLA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price objective on KLA from $800.00 to $875.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on KLA from $759.00 to $864.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on KLA from $795.00 to $870.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average 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.