KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the twenty-six analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and twelve have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $1,241.50.

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on KLAC shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on shares of KLA from $1,070.00 to $1,200.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on KLA from $1,115.00 to $1,250.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Citigroup raised their price target on KLA from $1,060.00 to $1,450.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Needham & Company LLC upped their price objective on KLA from $1,100.00 to $1,350.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on KLA from $1,120.00 to $1,280.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th.

KLA Price Performance

Shares of KLAC opened at $1,123.09 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.83, a current ratio of 2.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. KLA has a twelve month low of $551.33 and a twelve month high of $1,284.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $147.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.26, a P/E/G ratio of 3.56 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a 50 day moving average of $1,109.33 and a 200-day moving average of $948.18.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The semiconductor company reported $8.81 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.47 by $0.34. The business had revenue of $3.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.17 billion. KLA had a net margin of 33.83% and a return on equity of 113.10%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $7.33 earnings per share. KLA has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 7.920-9.480 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that KLA will post 31.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

KLA Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 17th will be paid a $1.90 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 17th. This represents a $7.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. KLA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.86%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 10,803 shares of KLA stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,203.10, for a total transaction of $12,997,089.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 81,211 shares in the company, valued at approximately $97,704,954.10. This trade represents a 11.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Ahmad A. Khan sold 13,716 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $881.50, for a total value of $12,090,654.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 27,372 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,128,418. This trade represents a 33.38% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 91.48% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in KLAC. Ulland Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of KLA during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Arlington Trust Co LLC boosted its position in KLA by 125.0% during the third quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC now owns 36 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of KLA in the third quarter valued at $40,000. Sentry Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of KLA in the second quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. bought a new position in shares of KLA in the third quarter valued at about $43,000. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

KLA Company Profile

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.