Navellier & Associates Inc. lifted its position in KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC – Free Report) by 971.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 23,290 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after acquiring an additional 21,117 shares during the quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc.’s holdings in KLA were worth $7,027,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in shares of KLA by 928.9% in the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 14,821,622 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $4,471,832,000 after buying an additional 13,381,153 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in KLA during the 2nd quarter valued at $2,522,430,000. Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its position in KLA by 978.2% in the 2nd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 858,984 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $259,164,000 after acquiring an additional 779,317 shares during the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new stake in KLA in the second quarter worth $163,950,000. Finally, Wedge Capital Management L L P NC increased its stake in KLA by 781.5% in the second quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 359,277 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $108,397,000 after purchasing an additional 318,520 shares during the period. 86.65% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of analysts have recently issued reports on KLAC shares. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $253.00 target price on shares of KLA in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $260.00 price objective (up from $200.00) on shares of KLA in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Citic Securities boosted their price objective on shares of KLA from $135.00 to $197.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Zacks Research raised shares of KLA from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Scotiabank set a $200.00 price target on shares of KLA in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, KLA has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $223.70.
KLA Stock Down 4.5%
Shares of KLA stock opened at $175.54 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 stock has a market cap of $229.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.87, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.45. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $213.18 and its two-hundred day moving average is $187.58. KLA Corporation has a 1 year low of $83.22 and a 1 year high of $307.37.
KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The semiconductor company reported $1.05 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.05. KLA had a net margin of 35.57% and a return on equity of 87.66%. The business had revenue of $3.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.61 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.94 EPS. The company’s quarterly 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. As a group, research analysts expect that KLA Corporation will post 5.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
KLA Increases Dividend
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 17th will be paid a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. This is a positive change from KLA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 17th. KLA’s payout ratio is presently 25.07%.
Trending Headlines about KLA
Here are the key news stories impacting KLA this week:
- Positive Sentiment: KLA’s AI exposure remains a long-term support. Its process-control tools are viewed as important to improving yields in advanced packaging and increasingly complex semiconductor manufacturing. What KLA’s AI-Fueled Advanced Packaging Momentum Means For Shareholders
- Positive Sentiment: Recent quarterly results exceeded expectations: revenue reached $3.66 billion, up 15.2% year over year, while EPS topped consensus. Management’s next-quarter EPS guidance of $1.06–$1.26 also points to continued growth. Analysts cited by Zacks see meaningful potential upside, although price targets are not a guarantee. Wall Street Analysts Think KLA Could Surge
- Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary remains constructive on KLA’s role as a potential “yield bottleneck” beneficiary of AI chip production and advanced manufacturing investment. KLA: The AI Yield Bottleneck Is Becoming More Valuable
- Neutral Sentiment: There was no clear new company-specific catalyst. The move instead reflects broader weakness across chip-equipment names, including declines in major semiconductor stocks that weighed on the Nasdaq-100 ETF and KLAC.
- Negative Sentiment: Investors may have considered KLA’s strong earnings insufficient relative to elevated expectations; the stock sold off after its late-July report despite beating estimates. Comparisons with faster-growing semiconductor names also weakened its near-term appeal. KLAC vs. SNDK: Which Semiconductor Stock is a Better Buy Now?
- Negative Sentiment: Recent insider activity is a headwind: KLA insiders reported open-market sales but no purchases over the past six months, including sales by senior executives. Investors also remain wary that export restrictions or weaker China demand could pressure sales and services.
Insider Activity at KLA
In other KLA news, CAO Virendra A. 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 sale, the chief accounting officer owned 7,972 shares in the company, valued at $1,558,526. This represents a 36.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Mary Beth Wilkinson sold 13,802 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 22,110 shares in the company, valued at $4,322,505. This trade represents a 38.43% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 258,533 shares of company stock valued at $55,977,470 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 91.48% of the company’s stock.
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.
Featured Stories
- Five stocks we like better than KLA
- 3 Financial Stocks Positioned for the Fed’s Next Move After Jackson Hole
- IREN’s AI Pivot Looks Real, But the Market Wanted a Faster Payoff After Earnings
- Boeing’s $131B F-15 Win: Mach 1 Momentum or Just Altitude?
- Okta Stock Surges 29%—Is $200 the Next Stop?
Receive News & Ratings for KLA Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for KLA and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
