Ridgewood Investments LLC Grows Stock Position in KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC)

28 Jul 2025, 12:32 by Tristan Rich · The Markets Daily

Ridgewood Investments LLC lifted its position in KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC – Free Report) by 15.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 569 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the period. Ridgewood Investments LLC’s holdings in KLA were worth $387,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Alpine Bank Wealth Management purchased a new position in KLA in the 1st quarter worth approximately $35,000. Olde Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of KLA in the first quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. purchased a new position in KLA during the first quarter worth approximately $45,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in KLA by 527.3% during the first quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 69 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HM Payson & Co. grew its holdings in KLA by 270.0% in the 1st quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 74 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

KLA Stock Down 0.2%

NASDAQ:KLAC opened at $902.09 on Monday. KLA Corporation has a 52 week low of $551.33 and a 52 week high of $945.87. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $862.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $762.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $119.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a quick ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 2.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $8.08 by $0.33. The firm had revenue of $3.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.01 billion. KLA had a return on equity of 112.97% and a net margin of 31.99%. KLA’s revenue was up 35.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $5.26 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that KLA Corporation will post 31.59 EPS for the current year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th were issued a $1.90 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 19th. This represents a $7.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.84%. This is a boost from KLA’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.70. KLA’s payout ratio is 27.63%.

KLA announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, April 30th that authorizes the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the semiconductor company to buy up to 5.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KLAC has been the topic of several analyst reports. Barclays reduced their price target on KLA from $760.00 to $590.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of KLA from $770.00 to $800.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of KLA from $740.00 to $950.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of KLA from $950.00 to $900.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of KLA in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $848.19.

Read Our Latest Report on KLA

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 10,802 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $683.30, for a total value of $7,381,006.60. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 78,740 shares in the company, valued at approximately $53,803,042. This trade represents a 12.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Virendra A. Kirloskar sold 39 shares of KLA stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $891.50, for a total value of $34,768.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 2,616 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,332,164. This trade represents a 1.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 11,860 shares of company stock valued at $8,196,798 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

About KLA

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