KLA (KLAC) Set to Announce Quarterly Earnings on Thursday

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) will post its quarterly earnings results after the market closes on Thursday, April 25th. Analysts expect KLA to post earnings of $5.08 per share for the quarter. KLA has set its Q3 guidance at $4.66-5.86 EPS.Parties that wish to listen to the company’s conference call can do so using this link.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The semiconductor company reported $6.16 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.91 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $2.49 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.46 billion. KLA had a net margin of 27.98% and a return on equity of 107.56%. KLA’s revenue was down 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $7.38 EPS. On average, analysts expect KLA to post $23 EPS for the current fiscal year and $27 EPS for the next fiscal year.

KLA Trading Down 5.0 %

KLA stock opened at $658.98 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $89.11 billion, a PE ratio of 33.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.31 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69, a current ratio of 1.91 and a quick ratio of 1.25. KLA has a 12-month low of $355.88 and a 12-month high of $729.15. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $684.11 and a 200-day simple moving average of $591.25.

KLA Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 19th were issued a $1.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 15th. This represents a $5.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.88%. KLA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.46%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of KLA in a report on Tuesday. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $800.00 price target for the company. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on KLA from $685.00 to $760.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Susquehanna reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $675.00 price target on shares of KLA in a report on Monday, April 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on KLA in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $800.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Berenberg Bank boosted their target price on KLA from $670.00 to $690.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $688.42.

Insider Activity at KLA

In other KLA news, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 7,018 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $705.04, for a total value of $4,947,970.72. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 32,375 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,825,670. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Oreste Donzella sold 3,257 shares of KLA stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $697.85, for a total value of $2,272,897.45. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 16,922 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,809,017.70. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 7,018 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $705.04, for a total transaction of $4,947,970.72. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 32,375 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,825,670. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of KLAC. Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of KLA in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC acquired a new stake in KLA in the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of KLA in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Quarry LP grew its holdings in shares of KLA by 118.9% during the 1st quarter. Quarry LP now owns 81 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Manhattan Co. increased its position in shares of KLA by 90.0% during the fourth quarter. First Manhattan Co. now owns 95 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

KLA Company Profile

KLA Corporation designs, manufactures, and markets process control, process-enabling, and yield management solutions for the semiconductor and related electronics industries worldwide. It operates through three segments: Semiconductor Process Control; Specialty Semiconductor Process; and PCB, Display and Component Inspection.