5,052 Shares in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) Bought by Allianz SE

Allianz SE purchased a new stake in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 5,052 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,201,000.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. United Bank bought a new stake in shares of KLA in the 3rd quarter valued at $339,000. D.A. Davidson & CO. increased its stake in KLA by 1.8% in the third quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 3,769 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,919,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of KLA by 60.4% during the third quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 2,705 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,095,000 after purchasing an additional 1,019 shares during the period. Fred Alger Management LLC boosted its position in shares of KLA by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC now owns 32,002 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $24,783,000 after purchasing an additional 1,463 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec grew its stake in shares of KLA by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 22,229 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $17,214,000 after buying an additional 484 shares during the period. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

KLA Trading Down 3.8 %

Shares of KLA stock opened at $673.60 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $727.83 and a 200-day moving average price of $703.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 2.36 and a quick ratio of 1.63. The firm has a market cap of $89.51 billion, a PE ratio of 28.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.30. KLA Co. has a 1 year low of $609.40 and a 1 year high of $896.32.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 research analysts anticipate that KLA Co. will post 31.59 EPS for the current year.

KLA Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.01%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. KLA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.60%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on KLAC. UBS Group increased their price target on KLA from $665.00 to $780.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on KLA from $795.00 to $870.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of KLA from $759.00 to $864.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Susquehanna upped their price objective on shares of KLA from $620.00 to $655.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of KLA from $800.00 to $825.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $825.39.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 7,008 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $724.62, for a total transaction of $5,078,136.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 28,798 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,867,606.76. This represents a 19.57 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

KLA 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.