New Street Research Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) Stock

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) had its price target lifted by equities research analysts at New Street Research from $1,315.00 to $1,460.00 in a research note issued on Friday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage presently has a “neutral” rating on the semiconductor company’s stock. New Street Research’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 2.25% from the company’s current price.

Several other equities analysts also recently issued reports on KLAC. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $1,800.00 price target on shares of KLA in a report on Friday. Argus set a $1,400.00 price objective on shares of KLA in a report on Friday, October 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of KLA from $1,070.00 to $1,485.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Bank of America boosted their target price on KLA from $1,450.00 to $1,650.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price target on KLA from $1,750.00 to $1,850.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,570.39.

KLA Price Performance

Shares of KLAC stock opened at $1,427.94 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $1,325.70 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1,126.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 2.69 and a quick ratio of 1.88. The firm has a market cap of $187.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.55, a P/E/G ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 1.45. KLA has a one year low of $551.33 and a one year high of $1,693.35.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The semiconductor company reported $8.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $8.75 by $0.10. KLA had a return on equity of 103.06% and a net margin of 35.76%.The firm had revenue of $3.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.25 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $8.20 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that KLA will post 31.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at KLA

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 value of $12,997,089.30. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 81,211 shares in the company, valued at $97,704,954.10. This trade represents a 11.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 2,254 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,237.01, for a total value of $2,788,220.54. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 32,154 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $39,774,819.54. This represents a 6.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 91.48% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On KLA

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of KLAC. Ulland Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in KLA in the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Sentry Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of KLA during the 2nd quarter valued at $36,000. Arlington Trust Co LLC lifted its stake in shares of KLA by 125.0% in the 3rd quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC now owns 36 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Triumph Capital Management bought a new position in shares of KLA in the 3rd quarter worth $40,000. Finally, Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of KLA during the third quarter worth $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting KLA

Here are the key news stories impacting KLA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: KLA beat expectations for Q2: revenue of $3.30B and non‑GAAP EPS $8.85, topping consensus and showing year‑over‑year growth. Reuters: KLA Corp beats quarterly results
• Positive Sentiment: Strong cash flow and capital returns: management reported robust operating cash flow and meaningful share repurchases/dividends that support shareholder returns. PR Newswire: KLA fiscal Q2 results
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support remains, with recent price‑target lifts and buy/overweight calls (Needham, Berenberg, RBC), leaving upside per some models. The Fly: RBC raises KLA PT MarketScreener: Berenberg raises PT Benzinga: Needham reaffirmation
• Neutral Sentiment: Management sees advanced‑packaging revenue rising mid‑to‑high teens in 2026, driven by AI demand for process‑control tools — a structural tailwind but timing is variable. Seeking Alpha: Advanced packaging outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Quarter materials, slide deck and call transcript are available for deeper read; they show strength but also careful wording on near‑term demand. Seeking Alpha: Earnings call transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Forward guide disappointed some: Q3 EPS range (8.30–9.86) and revenue range ($3.2B–$3.5B) leave the midpoint roughly in line to slightly below Street EPS expectations and include a wide revenue band — investors sold the stock on guidance uncertainty. Yahoo Finance: Q2 highlights & guidance
• Negative Sentiment: Market worries about the WFE (wafer‑fab equipment) outlook and timing of customer ramps—analysts flagged caution, which pressured the stock despite the beat. Seeking Alpha: WFE outlook concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation concerns: at its elevated multiple, some analysts and investors see limited near‑term upside, tempering reaction to the beat. Benzinga: Valuation offsets strengths
• Negative Sentiment: Unusually large put buying and elevated insider/institutional selling flagged on trading screens — options flow and visible sell pressure likely amplified the intraday decline. Quiver Quant: puts, insider sales and data

KLA Company Profile

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.