KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) Price Target Cut to $750.00 by Analysts at Stifel Nicolaus

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) had its price objective lowered by Stifel Nicolaus from $825.00 to $750.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the semiconductor company’s stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ price objective points to a potential upside of 10.76% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on KLAC. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of KLA from $910.00 to $800.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of KLA from $725.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on KLA from $759.00 to $864.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Needham & Company LLC boosted their price target on KLA from $800.00 to $830.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on KLA from $795.00 to $870.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $814.11.

KLA Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ KLAC traded up $7.16 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $677.13. The company had a trading volume of 178,456 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,207,703. 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 business has a 50-day simple moving average of $703.79 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $693.18. KLA has a twelve month low of $551.33 and a twelve month high of $896.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $89.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.37.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.20 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. Equities research analysts anticipate that KLA will post 31.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at KLA

In other news, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 7,008 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly 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 filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KLAC. Tortoise Investment Management LLC grew its stake in KLA by 300.0% in the fourth quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 48 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC bought a new position in KLA during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of KLA in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD lifted its stake in KLA by 160.0% during the fourth quarter. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD now owns 65 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA acquired a new position in KLA in the fourth quarter worth $43,000. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.