KLA Corporation $KLAC Stock: Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. Lowers Stake

Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. reduced its stake in KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 13.4% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 1,246,936 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 192,236 shares during the period. KLA makes up about 0.6% of Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A.’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest position. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A.’s holdings in KLA were worth $243,651,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in KLAC. Wellington Management Group LLP increased 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 purchasing an additional 13,381,153 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in KLA during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,522,430,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings in KLA by 239.3% during the 3rd 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. National Pension Service lifted its position in shares of KLA by 899.4% in the 2nd 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. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of KLA in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $377,898,000. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

KLA Trading Down 2.3%

NASDAQ KLAC opened at $157.30 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $204.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.49. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $173.40 and a 200 day simple moving average of $181.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 2.76 and a quick ratio of 1.86. KLA Corporation has a one year low of $107.20 and a one year high of $307.37.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The semiconductor company reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 company’s revenue was up 28.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $8.47 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that KLA Corporation will post 5.73 earnings per share for the current year.

KLA Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 16th will be paid a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 16th. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. KLA’s payout ratio is currently 23.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KLAC has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed 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. Wall Street Zen raised shares of KLA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 7th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $220.00 target price on shares of KLA in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $180.00 target price (up from $170.00) on shares of KLA in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $230.00 price target on shares of KLA in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $220.35.

Insider Buying and Selling at KLA

In related news, CEO Richard Wallace sold 72,014 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.02, for a total transaction of $10,731,526.28. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 634,911 shares in the company, valued at $94,614,437.22. The trade was a 10.19% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 79.39% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.