KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) Stock Has Consensus Target Price of $221.26 According to Analysts

KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC – Get Free Report) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-nine ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $221.26.

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on KLAC shares. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and set a $270.00 price objective on shares of KLA in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of KLA from $200.00 to $238.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Morgan Stanley set a $227.00 target price on KLA and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of KLA from $210.00 to $317.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $180.00 price objective (up from $170.00) on shares of KLA in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th.

View Our Latest Analysis on KLAC

Key Stories Impacting KLA

Here are the key news stories impacting KLA this week:

  • Positive Sentiment: Wall Street’s consensus price target implies approximately 27.9% potential upside. Analysts’ upward earnings-estimate revisions could provide near-term support, although price targets are not always reliable indicators. Wall Street Analysts See a 27.86% Upside in KLA
  • Positive Sentiment: KLA’s underlying business remains strong: its latest reported quarter exceeded revenue and EPS expectations, with revenue up 15.2% year over year. The company also issued fiscal first-quarter 2027 EPS guidance of $1.06 to $1.26, supporting the longer-term growth case.
  • Positive Sentiment: Institutional ownership data showed more investors adding than reducing positions in the latest quarter, including sizable additions by Invesco, Norges Bank, Capital International Investors and JPMorgan. Why KLA stock fell 4.6% today
  • Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley reduced its KLA price target to $227. While the revised target remains above the reported share price, the cut signals more cautious expectations. Morgan Stanley cuts target for KLA Corporation stock to USD 227
  • Negative Sentiment: Investors are questioning whether KLA still offers attractive value after its five-year rally. Its elevated valuation leaves the stock vulnerable to profit-taking if AI infrastructure spending or semiconductor demand slows. KLA Stock Looks Fully Valued After Its 5 Year Run
  • Negative Sentiment: Applied Materials, Lam Research and ASML also weakened as investors reassessed AI-related chip spending, financing conditions and potential competitive pressure from China’s memory-chip industry. Semiconductor Equipment Stocks Slide
  • Negative Sentiment: Recent insider-transaction data shows selling by KLA executives, including the CEO and CFO, with no reported open-market purchases in the past six months. This may reinforce concerns that the stock has become fully valued, though insider sales can reflect compensation and diversification.

KLA Stock Down 2.8%

Shares of NASDAQ KLAC opened at $178.81 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 2.88 and a quick ratio of 2.03. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $187.68 and its two-hundred day moving average is $196.64. KLA has a 12-month low of $105.39 and a 12-month high of $307.37. The company has a market capitalization of $233.35 billion, a PE ratio of 48.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.45.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The semiconductor company reported $1.05 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.05. KLA had a return on equity of 87.66% and a net margin of 35.57%. The company had revenue of $3.66 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.61 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.94 earnings per share. KLA’s revenue was up 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. KLA has set its Q1 2027 guidance at 1.060-1.260 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that KLA will post 5.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 17th were paid a dividend of $0.23 per share. This is an increase from KLA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 17th. KLA’s payout ratio is 25.07%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Virendra Kirloskar sold 4,504 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.50, for a total transaction of $880,532.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 7,972 shares in the company, valued at $1,558,526. This represents a 36.10% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP MaryBeth Wilkinson sold 13,802 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.50, for a total transaction of $2,698,291.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 22,110 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,322,505. This trade represents a 38.43% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 243,339 shares of company stock valued at $46,903,454 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 79.39% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On KLA

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Mather Group LLC. lifted its holdings in shares of KLA by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 32,335 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $6,303,000 after purchasing an additional 729 shares in the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its position in KLA by 72.3% in the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 1,068 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $208,000 after acquiring an additional 448 shares in the last quarter. Strategy Asset Managers LLC increased its holdings in KLA by 20.3% during the 3rd quarter. Strategy Asset Managers LLC now owns 4,824 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $940,000 after purchasing an additional 815 shares in the last quarter. Western Financial Corp CA lifted its holdings in shares of KLA by 11.0% in the third quarter. Western Financial Corp CA now owns 13,630 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,657,000 after purchasing an additional 1,355 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Triumph Capital Management grew its holdings in shares of KLA by 31.8% during the third quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 481 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $94,000 after buying an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

KLA Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

KLA Corporation (NASDAQ: KLAC) develops process-control and yield-management solutions used by semiconductor and electronics manufacturers. Its systems help customers detect defects, measure and analyze materials and structures, and monitor manufacturing processes throughout the production of integrated circuits and other advanced electronic components.

The company’s product portfolio includes inspection and metrology systems, wafer and reticle inspection equipment, process-control software, data analytics tools, and related services.

See Also

Analyst Recommendations for KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC)

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