KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) Receives $1,842.19 Consensus PT from Analysts

Shares of KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirty brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $342.4429.

Several research firms have commented on KLAC. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $218.00 price objective (up from $177.00) on shares of KLA in a report on Tuesday. Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $2,250.00 price objective (up from $1,700.00) on shares of KLA in a report on Thursday. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of KLA from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of KLA from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on shares of KLA from $180.00 to $206.40 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st.

KLA Price Performance

Shares of KLAC opened at $254.54 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $332.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 72.05, a PEG ratio of 3.77 and a beta of 1.50. KLA has a 1-year low of $83.22 and a 1-year high of $254.93. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $186.37 and its 200 day simple moving average is $155.43. The company has a current ratio of 3.03, a quick ratio of 2.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The semiconductor company reported $9.40 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.92 by $8.48. The business had revenue of $3.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.37 billion. KLA had a net margin of 35.66% and a return on equity of 91.89%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.84 earnings per share. KLA has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 8.870-10.870 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that KLA will post 3.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

KLA Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 18th were issued a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 18th. KLA’s dividend payout ratio is currently 2.60%.

KLA declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Thursday, March 12th that authorizes the company to repurchase $7.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the semiconductor company to repurchase up to 3.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other KLA news, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 45,120 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.34, for a total value of $9,986,725.44. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 713,830 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $157,996,990.71. This represents a 5.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 91.48% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On KLA

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of KLAC. Monetary Management Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of KLA by 0.4% in the second quarter. Monetary Management Group Inc. now owns 3,773 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $3,380,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the period. Tandem Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of KLA by 1.6% in the second quarter. Tandem Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,043 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $934,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares during the period. WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new stake in shares of KLA in the second quarter valued at about $90,000. Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its position in shares of KLA by 13.8% in the second quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 5,118 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $4,584,000 after acquiring an additional 619 shares during the period. Finally, Waterloo Capital L.P. boosted its position in shares of KLA by 11.4% in the third quarter. Waterloo Capital L.P. now owns 419 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $452,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting KLA

Here are the key news stories impacting KLA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts say AI-driven chip-fabrication spending is improving the outlook for semiconductor equipment demand, which is supporting KLA shares along with peers like Applied Materials and Lam Research. Applied Materials, KLA stocks gain as AI boom lifts chip equipment outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Recent analyst commentary remains constructive, with Barclays reiterating an Overweight rating and other firms raising price targets after KLA’s strong earnings and guidance. Applied Materials and KLA Are Surging. Why You Should Buy the Stocks, Says This Analyst.
• Neutral Sentiment: KLA’s announced 10-for-1 forward stock split is drawing investor attention and may boost liquidity and retail participation, but it does not by itself improve the company’s operating performance. Dear KLA Stock Fans, Mark Your Calendars for June 12
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Richard P. Wallace disclosed a share sale, which can slightly weigh on sentiment even though the transaction was small relative to his remaining stake. Richard P. Wallace insider sale filing

About KLA

KLA is a provider of process control and yield management solutions for the semiconductor and related microelectronics industries. The company designs and manufactures equipment, software and services used by chipmakers to analyze and control manufacturing processes, detect defects, measure critical dimensions and improve yield across wafer fabrication, photomask and packaging operations. KLA’s offerings are aimed at enabling production of advanced logic, memory, and specialty devices at progressively smaller technology nodes and more complex package structures.

Its product portfolio includes optical and e-beam inspection systems, metrology tools for critical dimension and film measurement, mask and reticle inspection platforms, as well as enterprise software and data analytics that aggregate process data and drive automated process control.