KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC – Free Report) had its price objective raised by The Goldman Sachs Group from $1,505.00 to $1,550.00 in a report published on Thursday morning,MarketScreener reports. The Goldman Sachs Group currently has a neutral rating on the semiconductor company’s stock.
KLAC has been the subject of a number of other reports. BNP Paribas Exane lifted their price target on shares of KLA from $1,550.00 to $1,700.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday. Zacks Research lowered KLA from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 16th. Berenberg Bank raised their price target on KLA from $1,770.00 to $2,000.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Argus boosted their price objective on KLA from $1,750.00 to $1,950.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Needham & Company LLC increased their target price on KLA from $1,800.00 to $2,000.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Twenty investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,788.52.
Check Out Our Latest Report on KLAC
KLA Trading Down 1.2%
KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The semiconductor company reported $9.40 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.17 by $0.23. The company had revenue of $3.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.37 billion. KLA had a return on equity of 95.45% and a net margin of 35.66%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $8.41 earnings per share. KLA has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 8.870-10.870 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that KLA will post 36.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
KLA declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Thursday, March 12th that permits the company to buyback $7.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the semiconductor company to reacquire up to 3.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.
KLA Announces Dividend
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th were paid a $1.90 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $7.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. KLA’s payout ratio is currently 21.51%.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On KLA
Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Close Asset Management Ltd acquired a new position in shares of KLA during the third quarter worth $133,209,000. PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab acquired a new position in shares of KLA during the 4th quarter worth about $119,618,000. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. increased its holdings in shares of KLA by 69.1% in the 3rd quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 87,547 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $94,422,000 after acquiring an additional 35,770 shares during the last quarter. Pinebridge Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of KLA in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,812,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in shares of KLA by 418.1% during the 3rd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 29,227 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $31,524,000 after acquiring an additional 23,586 shares in the last quarter. 86.65% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Key KLA News
Here are the key news stories impacting KLA this week:
- Positive Sentiment: KLA beat Q3 expectations on both EPS and revenue, showing continued demand for its process-control tools. Strong operating cash flow and free cash flow figures were highlighted in the release. Press Release
- Positive Sentiment: Management raised shareholder returns: a higher quarterly dividend ($2.30/share) starting in May and an additional $7 billion share repurchase authorization — a clear cash-return catalyst. Press Release
- Positive Sentiment: Broker support picked up: multiple firms raised price targets and maintained bullish ratings (Needham to $2,000; Wells Fargo to $2,100; JPMorgan raised its target), which provides mid-term upside thesis for investors focused on AI-driven chip demand. Broker Notes
- Neutral Sentiment: KLA guided Q4 EPS to a range of $8.87–$10.87 (consensus ~$9.80) and revenue $3.4B–$3.8B (consensus ~$3.5B) — the midpoint is roughly in line with Street expectations but the wide ranges left some investors uncertain. Earnings/Guidance
- Neutral Sentiment: Management and analysts continue to point to AI-linked demand as the primary growth driver; this supports longer-term structural growth but timing and cadence of customer ramps remain the key variables. Reuters
- Negative Sentiment: Shares fell after the print because some investors expected even stronger near-term guidance or commentary; headlines noted the stock “tumbled” despite an above-consensus outlook, signaling profit-taking and knee-jerk reaction to guidance nuance. Seeking Alpha
- Negative Sentiment: Valuation and recent run-up: KLAC has surged over the past year (~161% in some coverage) and trades at a high multiple (~50x 2026 EPS), increasing vulnerability to short-term profit-taking. Yahoo Finance
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.
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