KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC – Get Free Report) dropped 2.4% during trading on Thursday. The stock traded as low as $168.42 and last traded at $174.46. Approximately 13,686,606 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 23% from the average daily volume of 11,087,124 shares. The stock had previously closed at $178.81.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on KLAC shares. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $325.00 price objective on shares of KLA in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $225.00 target price on shares of KLA in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $270.00 target price on shares of KLA in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $195.00 price target (down from $220.00) on shares of KLA in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $225.00 price target on shares of KLA in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Eighteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $221.26.
Read Our Latest Analysis on KLAC
KLA Stock Performance
The stock has a market capitalization of $227.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.45. The company’s 50-day moving average is $187.68 and its two-hundred day moving average is $196.64. The company has a current ratio of 2.88, a quick ratio of 2.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93.
KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC – Get Free Report) last announced 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 company had revenue of $3.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.61 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $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. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that KLA Corporation will post 5.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.
KLA Increases Dividend
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 17th were given a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. This is an increase from KLA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 17th. KLA’s payout ratio is 25.07%.
Insider Activity
In related news, CAO Virendra A. Kirloskar sold 4,504 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.50, for a total value of $880,532.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 7,972 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,558,526. This represents a 36.10% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Brian Lorig sold 59,586 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.13, for a total transaction of $12,401,634.18. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 77,681 shares in the company, valued at $16,167,746.53. The trade was a 43.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 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
A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Allied Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in KLA in the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Atomic Invest LLC raised its stake in shares of KLA by 781.8% during the 2nd quarter. Atomic Invest LLC now owns 97 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc grew its stake in shares of KLA by 2,275.0% in the 2nd quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 95 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in KLA by 900.0% in the second quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 100 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cherry Tree Wealth Management LLC raised its position in KLA by 900.0% during the second quarter. Cherry Tree Wealth Management LLC now owns 120 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. 86.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
About KLA
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.
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