TD Cowen Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) Stock

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) had its price objective upped by equities research analysts at TD Cowen from $900.00 to $1,300.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The firm presently has a “hold” rating on the semiconductor company’s stock. TD Cowen’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 7.55% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on KLAC. Bank of America raised their target price on KLA from $1,000.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 13th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $950.00 target price (up from $850.00) on shares of KLA in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on KLA from $920.00 to $1,115.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 2nd. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised their target price on KLA from $800.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on KLA from $922.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 13th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, KLA currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,228.29.

KLA Stock Down 0.5%

NASDAQ KLAC opened at $1,208.74 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $1,037.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $901.29. KLA has a one year low of $551.33 and a one year high of $1,284.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 1.83 and a current ratio of 2.62. The company has a market cap of $159.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.95, a P/E/G ratio of 3.56 and a beta of 1.50.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The semiconductor company reported $8.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.47 by $0.34. KLA had a return on equity of 113.10% and a net margin of 33.83%.The business had revenue of $3.21 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.17 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $7.33 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. KLA has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 7.920-9.480 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that KLA will post 31.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at KLA

In other news, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 10,801 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $913.68, for a total transaction of $9,868,657.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 92,818 shares in the company, valued at approximately $84,805,950.24. This represents a 10.42% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Ahmad A. Khan sold 13,716 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $881.50, for a total value of $12,090,654.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 27,372 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $24,128,418. This trade represents a 33.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 32,566 shares of company stock worth $29,313,522. 91.48% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On KLA

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of KLAC. Activest Wealth Management boosted its holdings in KLA by 4,100.0% during the 1st quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 42 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the period. Ulland Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in KLA during the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. Olde Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in KLA during the 1st quarter valued at about $36,000. Saudi Central Bank purchased a new position in KLA during the 1st quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Sentry Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in KLA during the 2nd quarter valued at about $36,000. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About KLA

KLA Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, manufacture, and marketing of process control, process-enabling, and yield management solutions for the semiconductor and related electronics industries worldwide. It operates through three segments: Semiconductor Process Control; Specialty Semiconductor Process; and PCB and Component Inspection.