KLA Corporation $KLAC Stock Acquired by CenterBook Partners LP

CenterBook Partners LP raised its stake in KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 1,205.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 68,290 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after purchasing an additional 63,058 shares during the quarter. CenterBook Partners LP’s holdings in KLA were worth $13,312,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in KLAC. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in KLA by 928.9% during the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 14,821,622 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $4,471,832,000 after buying an additional 13,381,153 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in shares of KLA during the second quarter worth about $2,522,430,000. National Pension Service boosted its holdings in shares of KLA by 899.4% during the second quarter. National Pension Service now owns 3,634,859 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,096,673,000 after purchasing an additional 3,271,158 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its stake in shares of KLA by 239.3% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 5,614,990 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,094,530,000 after purchasing an additional 3,959,927 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PineStone Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of KLA by 11.5% in the third quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,418,400 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $471,419,000 after purchasing an additional 248,700 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other KLA news, CEO Richard Wallace sold 72,019 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.88, for a total transaction of $12,378,625.72. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 706,925 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $121,506,269. This represents a 9.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Brian Lorig sold 59,586 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $208.13, for a total transaction of $12,401,634.18. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 77,681 shares in the company, valued at $16,167,746.53. The trade was a 43.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 219,173 shares of company stock valued at $42,201,914. 79.39% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

KLA Stock Performance

Shares of KLAC stock traded up $8.69 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $138.49. The company had a trading volume of 15,336,108 shares, compared to its average volume of 12,115,061. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 1.86 and a current ratio of 2.76. KLA Corporation has a one year low of $107.20 and a one year high of $307.37. The firm has a market cap of $180.45 billion, a PE ratio of 34.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.49. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $174.83 and a 200-day moving average price of $181.68.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The semiconductor company reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.18 by $0.04. KLA had a return on equity of 89.30% and a net margin of 36.25%. The firm had revenue of $4.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.04 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $8.47 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 28.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that KLA Corporation will post 5.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

KLA Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 16th will be given a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 16th. KLA’s payout ratio is 23.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $260.00 target price (up from $200.00) on shares of KLA in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of KLA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $180.00 target price (up from $170.00) on shares of KLA in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on KLA from $238.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets set a $133.00 price target on KLA in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $220.35.

Trending Headlines about KLA

Here are the key news stories impacting KLA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: KLA declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.23 per share, payable December 1 to shareholders of record November 16. The dividend provides a modest return to shareholders. KLA Declares Regular Cash Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: A bullish analysis highlights KLA’s strong quarterly results, AI-related demand, expanding margins, and upbeat guidance, including projected year-over-year revenue growth of 43% and EPS growth above 60% in the next quarter. KLA: Unfairly Caught Up In The Tech Carnage
• Positive Sentiment: Exchange-traded funds bought $52.3 million of KLAC shares on November 3, indicating institutional fund demand. ETFs Bought $52.3 Million of KLAC
• Neutral Sentiment: A report on a $17 billion hedge fund returning cash after a poor month discusses ownership and positioning in AI-chip stocks, including KLA. It may contribute to volatility, but does not by itself establish a change in KLA’s business outlook. Hedge Fund Returns Cash After Worst Month Since 2020
• Negative Sentiment: Unusually high put-option buying suggests some investors are hedging against, or betting on, downside in KLAC, a potentially bearish near-term signal. KLA Stock Sees Unusually High Put Option Buying

About KLA

KLA Corporation develops process-control and yield-management technologies used in the manufacture of semiconductors and other electronic products. Its systems help manufacturers detect defects, measure features and monitor production processes as they make increasingly complex devices.

The company’s products include inspection and metrology equipment, as well as software and related services. Its technologies support multiple stages of semiconductor production, from work on wafers and reticles to advanced packaging.