Citic Securities Issues Positive Forecast for KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) Stock Price

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) had its target price raised by Citic Securities from $950.00 to $1,350.00 in a report released on Friday morning,MarketScreener reports.

KLAC has been the topic of several other research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on KLA from $1,120.00 to $1,280.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Susquehanna upped their price target on KLA from $745.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of KLA from $1,135.00 to $1,260.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of KLA in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane upped their target price on shares of KLA from $820.00 to $1,200.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, KLA currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,241.50.

KLA Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of KLAC traded down $13.03 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $1,193.37. 1,142,081 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,116,574. KLA has a 52 week low of $551.33 and a 52 week high of $1,284.47. The company has a market cap of $156.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.47, a PEG ratio of 3.56 and a beta of 1.52. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $1,069.46 and a 200 day simple moving average of $920.95. The company has a current ratio of 2.62, a quick ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The semiconductor company reported $8.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $8.47 by $0.34. The firm had revenue of $3.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.17 billion. KLA had a return on equity of 113.10% and a net margin of 33.83%.The business’s revenue was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $7.33 EPS. KLA has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 7.920-9.480 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that KLA will post 31.59 EPS for the current year.

KLA Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 17th will be paid a dividend of $1.90 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 17th. This represents a $7.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. KLA’s dividend payout ratio is currently 23.86%.

Insider Activity

In other KLA news, EVP Brian Lorig sold 8,049 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $913.68, for a total value of $7,354,210.32. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 11,479 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,488,132.72. This trade represents a 41.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 10,801 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $913.68, for a total value of $9,868,657.68. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 92,818 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $84,805,950.24. This trade represents a 10.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 32,566 shares of company stock valued at $29,313,522 in the last ninety days. 91.48% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On KLA

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Activest Wealth Management increased its position in shares of KLA by 4,100.0% during the first quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 42 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Ulland Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of KLA during the second quarter worth $32,000. Saudi Central Bank acquired a new stake in KLA during the first quarter worth about $36,000. Sentry Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of KLA in the 2nd quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of KLA in the first quarter worth about $37,000. 86.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

KLA Company Profile

KLA Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, manufacture, and marketing of 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 and Component Inspection.