KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

KLA Co. (NASDAQ:KLAC) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the nineteen ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $812.47.

A number of research analysts have weighed in on KLAC shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price objective on shares of KLA from $890.00 to $750.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $925.00 price objective on shares of KLA in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. TD Cowen cut their price objective on shares of KLA from $760.00 to $725.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of KLA from $800.00 to $795.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of KLA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th.

KLA Price Performance

KLA stock opened at $702.71 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $93.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.09, a PEG ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.27. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $666.45 and its 200 day moving average is $720.69. The company has a quick ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 2.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65. KLA has a 52-week low of $581.70 and a 52-week high of $896.32.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The semiconductor company reported $7.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.03 by $0.30. The company had revenue of $2.84 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.75 billion. KLA had a net margin of 28.92% and a return on equity of 105.16%. KLA’s revenue was up 18.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $5.74 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that KLA will post 30.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a dividend of $1.70 per share. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.97%. This is a boost from KLA’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.45. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. KLA’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.05%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KLAC. Consolidated Portfolio Review Corp lifted its position in shares of KLA by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Consolidated Portfolio Review Corp now owns 827 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $521,000 after buying an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Telos Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of KLA by 10.3% during the fourth quarter. Telos Capital Management Inc. now owns 610 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $384,000 after buying an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Argus Investors Counsel Inc. lifted its position in shares of KLA by 5.1% during the fourth quarter. Argus Investors Counsel Inc. now owns 788 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $497,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated lifted its position in shares of KLA by 20.8% during the fourth quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 1,653 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,047,000 after buying an additional 285 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Elm3 Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of KLA during the fourth quarter valued at about $361,000. 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.