Sowell Financial Services LLC Sells 11,440 Shares of KLA Corporation $KLAC

Sowell Financial Services LLC lessened its position in shares of KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 49.2% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 11,817 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 11,440 shares during the quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC’s holdings in KLA were worth $2,303,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Allied Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in KLA in the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Atomic Invest LLC raised its stake in KLA by 781.8% in the 2nd quarter. Atomic Invest LLC now owns 97 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the period. Roble Belko & Company Inc raised its stake in KLA by 2,275.0% in the 2nd quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 95 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the period. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in KLA by 900.0% in the 2nd quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 100 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the period. Finally, Cherry Tree Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in KLA by 900.0% during the second quarter. Cherry Tree Wealth Management LLC now owns 120 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP MaryBeth Wilkinson sold 13,802 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $195.50, for a total value of $2,698,291.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 22,110 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,322,505. This represents a 38.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Virendra A. Kirloskar sold 4,504 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.50, for a total transaction of $880,532.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 7,972 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,558,526. The trade was a 36.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 243,339 shares of company stock valued at $46,903,454. Corporate insiders own 79.39% of the company’s stock.

KLA Stock Performance

NASDAQ:KLAC opened at $147.83 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 2.03 and a current ratio of 2.88. KLA Corporation has a 52-week low of $107.20 and a 52-week high of $307.37. The firm has a market cap of $192.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.31, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.45. The business’s fifty day moving average is $183.23 and its 200 day moving average is $197.31.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The semiconductor company reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.00 by $0.05. KLA had a return on equity of 87.66% and a net margin of 35.57%. The business had revenue of $3.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.61 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.94 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 15.2% on a year-over-year basis. KLA has set its Q1 2027 guidance at 1.060-1.260 EPS. Research analysts predict that KLA Corporation will post 5.43 EPS for the current year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 17th were given a dividend of $0.23 per share. This is a boost from KLA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 17th. KLA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.07%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have weighed in on KLAC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of KLA from $200.00 to $238.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $325.00 price target on shares of KLA in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $260.00 price target (up from $200.00) on shares of KLA in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating and set a $225.00 price target on shares of KLA in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of KLA from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, September 28th. Nineteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $221.26.

About KLA

KLA Corporation (NASDAQ: KLAC) develops process control, inspection and yield management solutions for the semiconductor and other advanced manufacturing industries. Its technologies help manufacturers identify defects, measure critical dimensions and monitor production processes to improve quality, reliability and manufacturing efficiency.

The company’s product portfolio includes wafer and reticle inspection systems, metrology and measurement tools, defect review and classification systems, and software for analyzing manufacturing data.