BDF Gestion Sells 3,757 Shares of KLA Corporation $KLAC

BDF Gestion reduced its stake in shares of KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 11.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 29,623 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 3,757 shares during the period. KLA accounts for approximately 0.8% of BDF Gestion’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. BDF Gestion’s holdings in KLA were worth $5,774,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. McIlrath & Eck LLC lifted its position in shares of KLA by 6.8% in the 1st quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 94 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $139,000 after acquiring an additional 6 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its position in KLA by 36.4% during the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 60 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $88,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. Stiles Financial Services Inc grew its position in KLA by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. Stiles Financial Services Inc now owns 1,783 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $2,625,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of KLA by 28.2% in the first quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 100 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $147,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of KLA by 3.3% in the first quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 822 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,211,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

KLA Stock Up 2.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:KLAC traded up $3.80 during trading on Monday, reaching $169.54. 4,635,013 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 11,064,034. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $186.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $197.05. The company has a quick ratio of 2.03, a current ratio of 2.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. KLA Corporation has a 1-year low of $107.20 and a 1-year high of $307.37. The firm has a market cap of $221.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.45.

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

KLA Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 17th were paid a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. This is an increase from KLA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 17th. KLA’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.07%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley set a $227.00 price target on KLA and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on KLA from $200.00 to $238.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $210.00 price objective (up from $200.00) on shares of KLA in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Susquehanna set a $215.00 price objective on KLA and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $195.00 target price (down from $220.00) on shares of KLA in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Nineteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, KLA currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $221.26.

Insider Transactions at KLA

In other news, CAO Virendra Kirloskar sold 4,504 shares of KLA 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 $1,558,526. The trade was a 36.10% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP MaryBeth Wilkinson sold 13,802 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 22,110 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,322,505. The trade was a 38.43% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 243,339 shares of company stock worth $46,903,454. 79.39% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.