Voleon Capital Management LP Makes New $8.90 Million Investment in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Voleon Capital Management LP purchased a new position in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 14,116 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,895,000. KLA comprises approximately 0.7% of Voleon Capital Management LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest position.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Tortoise Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of KLA by 300.0% during the fourth quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 48 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC purchased a new stake in shares of KLA during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of KLA during the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD grew its holdings in shares of KLA by 160.0% during the fourth quarter. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD now owns 65 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA purchased a new stake in shares of KLA during the fourth quarter valued at $43,000. 86.65% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of KLA from $825.00 to $750.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating and set a $725.00 price objective (down from $875.00) on shares of KLA in a report on Friday, March 28th. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price target on shares of KLA from $800.00 to $875.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of KLA from $795.00 to $870.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of KLA from $759.00 to $864.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $804.67.

KLA Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of KLAC opened at $687.95 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.36, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. KLA Co. has a 12 month low of $551.33 and a 12 month high of $896.32. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $682.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is $684.39. The firm has a market cap of $91.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.93, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.37.

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

KLA Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a $1.70 dividend. This represents a $6.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.99%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. KLA’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.60%.

Insider Transactions at KLA

In other KLA news, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 7,008 shares of the business’s 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 28,798 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,867,606.76. The trade was a 19.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

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.