KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) Stock Has Average Price Target of $220.35

KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-nine research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, nineteen have issued a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $220.35.

KLAC has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $225.00 price objective on shares of KLA in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $230.00 target price on KLA and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $200.00 target price (down from $270.00) on shares of KLA in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Zacks Research raised KLA from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 30th. Finally, UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $180.00 price target (down from $190.00) on shares of KLA in a research note on Thursday, October 29th.

More KLA News

Here are the key news stories impacting KLA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: KLA declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.23 per share, payable December 1 to shareholders of record November 16. The dividend provides a modest return to shareholders. KLA Declares Regular Cash Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: A bullish analysis highlights KLA’s strong quarterly results, AI-related demand, expanding margins, and upbeat guidance, including projected year-over-year revenue growth of 43% and EPS growth above 60% in the next quarter. KLA: Unfairly Caught Up In The Tech Carnage
• Positive Sentiment: Exchange-traded funds bought $52.3 million of KLAC shares on November 3, indicating institutional fund demand. ETFs Bought $52.3 Million of KLAC
• Neutral Sentiment: A report on a $17 billion hedge fund returning cash after a poor month discusses ownership and positioning in AI-chip stocks, including KLA. It may contribute to volatility, but does not by itself establish a change in KLA’s business outlook. Hedge Fund Returns Cash After Worst Month Since 2020
• Negative Sentiment: Unusually high put-option buying suggests some investors are hedging against, or betting on, downside in KLAC, a potentially bearish near-term signal. KLA Stock Sees Unusually High Put Option Buying

Insider Buying and Selling at KLA

In related news, EVP Brian Lorig sold 59,586 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.13, for a total transaction of $12,401,634.18. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 77,681 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,167,746.53. This trade represents a 43.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 87,568 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $198.95, for a total transaction of $17,421,653.60. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 778,944 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $154,970,908.80. The trade was a 10.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 219,173 shares of company stock worth $42,201,914 in the last three months. Insiders own 79.39% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of KLA

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Ibex Wealth Advisors increased its holdings in shares of KLA by 10.9% in the 3rd quarter. Ibex Wealth Advisors now owns 6,907 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,346,000 after buying an additional 681 shares during the last quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of KLA by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 14,186 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,765,000 after acquiring an additional 654 shares during the last quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of KLA by 5.4% in the 3rd quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 9,683 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,887,000 after acquiring an additional 494 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP lifted its holdings in shares of KLA by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 211,300 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $41,189,000 after acquiring an additional 3,928 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its position in KLA by 63.1% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 533,311 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $103,958,000 after acquiring an additional 206,238 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

KLA Stock Performance

Shares of KLAC stock opened at $138.49 on Wednesday. KLA has a 52-week low of $107.20 and a 52-week high of $307.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 1.86 and a current ratio of 2.76. The firm has a market capitalization of $180.45 billion, a PE ratio of 34.62, a PEG ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.49. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $174.83 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $181.68.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The semiconductor company reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.18 by $0.04. KLA had a return on equity of 89.30% and a net margin of 36.25%. The business had revenue of $4.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.04 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $8.47 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 28.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that KLA will post 5.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

KLA Announces Dividend

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 given a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 16th. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. KLA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.00%.

KLA Company Profile

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.