256,716 KLA Corporation $KLAC Shares Purchased by Pictet Asset Management Holding SA

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA raised its position in KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 5.3% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 5,113,870 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after purchasing an additional 256,716 shares during the quarter. KLA accounts for 1.0% of Pictet Asset Management Holding SA’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest holding. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA’s holdings in KLA were worth $997,000,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Formuepleje A S boosted its holdings in shares of KLA by 1,125.5% in the 2nd quarter. Formuepleje A S now owns 30,062 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $9,070,000 after acquiring an additional 27,609 shares in the last quarter. TOWER TRUST & INVESTMENT Co increased its holdings in KLA by 829.7% during the 2nd quarter. TOWER TRUST & INVESTMENT Co now owns 7,456 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,249,000 after purchasing an additional 6,654 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd increased its holdings in KLA by 7.7% during the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 275,745 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $53,751,000 after purchasing an additional 19,700 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. raised its position in KLA by 1,195.3% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 14,948 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $4,510,000 after purchasing an additional 13,794 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Colton Groome Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in KLA by 40.1% in the 3rd quarter. Colton Groome Financial Advisors LLC now owns 28,728 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $5,600,000 after purchasing an additional 8,225 shares during the last quarter. 86.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at KLA

In related news, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 87,568 shares of KLA stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.95, for a total value of $17,421,653.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 778,944 shares in the company, valued at $154,970,908.80. This trade represents a 10.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Brian Lorig sold 59,586 shares of KLA stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $208.13, for a total value of $12,401,634.18. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 77,681 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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. Insiders have sold 219,173 shares of company stock worth $42,201,914 in the last ninety days. 79.39% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Key Stories Impacting 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

KLA Stock Performance

KLAC stock opened at $138.49 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 2.76 and a quick ratio of 1.86. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $174.83 and a 200 day moving average price of $181.68. KLA Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $107.20 and a fifty-two week high of $307.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $180.45 billion, a PE ratio of 34.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.49.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 28th. The semiconductor company reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.18 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $4.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.04 billion. KLA had a return on equity of 89.30% and a net margin of 36.25%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 28.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $8.47 EPS. Analysts forecast that KLA Corporation will post 5.73 EPS for the current year.

KLA Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KLAC has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Truist Financial set a $225.00 price objective on KLA in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Susquehanna lowered their target price on KLA from $215.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on KLA from $245.00 to $210.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 29th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $180.00 price target (down from $190.00) on shares of KLA in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $200.00 price target (down from $270.00) on shares of KLA in a research report 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 issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $220.35.

KLA Company Profile

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.