VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al reduced its position in KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC – Free Report) by 0.9% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 407,220 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 3,880 shares during the period. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al’s holdings in KLA were worth $79,379,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. McIlrath & Eck LLC grew its holdings in KLA by 6.8% during the 1st quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 94 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $139,000 after acquiring an additional 6 shares during the period. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of KLA by 36.4% in the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 60 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $88,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares during the period. Stiles Financial Services Inc lifted its stake in shares of KLA by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Stiles Financial Services Inc now owns 1,783 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,625,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares during the period. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. boosted its position in shares of KLA by 28.2% during the 1st quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 100 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $147,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. boosted its position in shares of KLA by 2.2% during the 1st quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 2,379 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $3,664,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. 86.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Trending Headlines about KLA
Here are the key news stories impacting KLA this week:
- Positive Sentiment: KLA reported fiscal Q1 2027 revenue of approximately $4.14 billion and earnings of $1.22 per share, exceeding Wall Street expectations of $4.04 billion and $1.18 per share. Revenue increased 28.9% year over year, marking the company’s 10th consecutive quarter of growth. KLAC Q1 Earnings Beat Estimates
- Positive Sentiment: The company issued fiscal Q2 revenue guidance of $4.5 billion to $4.9 billion, implying roughly $4.7 billion at the midpoint versus consensus of $4.5 billion. EPS guidance of $1.33 to $1.55 also brackets or exceeds the $1.36 consensus estimate, reinforcing expectations for continued AI-driven demand. KLA Q2 Guidance
- Positive Sentiment: Demand for wafer inspection, process-control and advanced-packaging equipment is benefiting from the increasing complexity of AI chips and the construction of leading-edge semiconductor fabs. Argus reaffirmed its Buy rating with a $225 price target, while JPMorgan raised its target to $240 and maintained Overweight. Advanced Packaging Demand
- Neutral Sentiment: Analyst opinion remains mixed. Several firms lowered price targets after earnings—including Wells Fargo, Needham, Evercore ISI, Cantor Fitzgerald, Susquehanna and UBS—citing valuation, structural share headwinds or a more cautious risk-reward profile, even though many retained positive or neutral ratings.
- Negative Sentiment: KLAC is declining in sympathy with semiconductor shares as investors question whether elevated AI infrastructure spending can continue at its current pace. The pullback also leaves the stock below its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, increasing near-term technical pressure despite the strong operating outlook. KLA Shares Weaken as Semiconductor Stocks Fall
KLA Stock Down 5.7%
KLA stock opened at $157.91 on Friday. KLA Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $107.20 and a fifty-two week high of $307.37. The stock has a market cap of $206.07 billion, a PE ratio of 39.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.45. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $178.62 and its 200 day simple moving average is $181.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 2.03 and a current ratio of 2.76.
KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The semiconductor company reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.18 by $0.04. KLA had a net margin of 36.25% and a return on equity of 89.30%. The company had revenue of $4.14 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.04 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $8.47 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 28.9% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that KLA Corporation will post 5.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.
KLA Increases Dividend
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 17th were issued a dividend of $0.23 per share. This is a positive change from KLA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 17th. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. KLA’s payout ratio is currently 23.00%.
Insider Buying and Selling
In related news, EVP MaryBeth Wilkinson sold 13,802 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $195.50, for a total value of $2,698,291.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 22,110 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,322,505. This represents a 38.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, 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 owned 7,972 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,558,526. This trade represents a 36.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 243,339 shares of company stock worth $46,903,454. Company insiders own 79.39% of the company’s stock.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on KLAC shares. Cantor Fitzgerald set a $240.00 target price on KLA and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $220.00 price target on shares of KLA in a research note on Thursday. Stifel Nicolaus set a $230.00 price target on KLA and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Argus reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $225.00 price objective on shares of KLA in a research report on Friday. Finally, Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $225.00 price objective on shares of KLA in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Nineteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $220.35.
Get Our Latest Research Report on KLA
KLA Company Profile
KLA Corporation (NASDAQ: KLAC) develops process control, inspection and yield management solutions for the semiconductor and other advanced manufacturing industries. Its technologies help manufacturers identify defects, measure critical dimensions and monitor production processes to improve quality, reliability and manufacturing efficiency.
The company’s product portfolio includes wafer and reticle inspection systems, metrology and measurement tools, defect review and classification systems, and software for analyzing manufacturing data.
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