Ethos Financial Group LLC Invests $542,000 in KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC)

Ethos Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 931 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock, valued at approximately $542,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new position in shares of KLA during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Addison Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of KLA during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Operose Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of KLA during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of KLA during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Finally, AdvisorNet Financial Inc lifted its stake in shares of KLA by 29.3% during the 4th quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 75 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

KLA Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of KLAC traded down $6.48 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $710.67. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 976,033 shares, compared to its average volume of 953,193. The company has a current ratio of 2.14, a quick ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $95.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.23, a PEG ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 1.33. The company’s 50-day moving average is $690.90 and its 200-day moving average is $613.54. KLA Co. has a 52-week low of $380.50 and a 52-week high of $729.15.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The semiconductor company reported $5.26 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.94 by $0.32. The firm had revenue of $2.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.31 billion. KLA had a net margin of 27.19% and a return on equity of 102.37%. KLA’s revenue was down 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $5.49 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that KLA Co. will post 23.24 EPS for the current fiscal year.

KLA Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 31st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.45 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 14th. This represents a $5.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.82%. KLA’s payout ratio is 30.38%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price target on shares of KLA from $625.00 to $800.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, April 8th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of KLA from $685.00 to $760.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Susquehanna reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $675.00 price target on shares of KLA in a report on Monday, April 1st. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of KLA from $692.00 to $698.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Finally, Evercore ISI assumed coverage on shares of KLA in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $800.00 price target on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, KLA currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $722.26.

Insider Buying and Selling at KLA

In other news, EVP Oreste Donzella sold 3,257 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $697.85, for a total value of $2,272,897.45. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 16,922 shares in the company, valued at $11,809,017.70. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Oreste Donzella sold 3,257 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $697.85, for a total value of $2,272,897.45. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 16,922 shares in the company, valued at $11,809,017.70. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 14,009 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $716.63, for a total transaction of $10,039,269.67. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 93,142 shares in the company, valued at $66,748,351.46. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 24,284 shares of company stock worth $17,260,138. 0.12% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About KLA

KLA Corporation designs, manufactures, and markets 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, Display and Component Inspection.