KLA Corporation $KLAC Stake Lessened by 1248 Management LLC

1248 Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 28.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,024 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 411 shares during the quarter. KLA comprises about 0.6% of 1248 Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. 1248 Management LLC’s holdings in KLA were worth $1,104,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KLAC. Arlington Trust Co LLC lifted its position in KLA by 125.0% in 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. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. acquired a new position in shares of KLA during the 3rd quarter valued at $43,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its stake in shares of KLA by 28.6% in the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 45 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of KLA in the 3rd quarter worth $59,000. Finally, Ulland Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of KLA by 61.1% in the third quarter. Ulland Investment Advisors LLC now owns 58 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $63,000 after buying an additional 22 shares during the period. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting KLA

Here are the key news stories impacting KLA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: KLA announced a $7 billion buyback, raised its quarterly dividend ~21% (to $2.30), and reaffirmed March‑quarter guidance — a direct shareholder‑friendly action that typically supports the stock and EPS per share over time. PR Newswire: KLA Hosts Investor Day; Announces $7 Billion Repurchase and Dividend Increase
• Positive Sentiment: Oppenheimer raised its price target from $1,800 to $1,900 and kept an outperform rating — a bullish analyst signal that increases upside expectations for investors. TickerReport: Oppenheimer raises KLAC price target
• Neutral Sentiment: KLA hosted Investor Day (slides and presentations available). The event reinforced management messaging on demand drivers (AI/advanced packaging) and capital allocation, providing detail but not changing guidance. Useful for longer‑term thesis but less of an immediate shock. Seeking Alpha: KLA Investor Day Slideshow
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry pieces (Zacks, Yahoo/MarketBeat) reiterate KLA’s exposure to accelerating wafer‑fabrication and AI chip demand; these reinforce the secular growth story but are broader‑market context rather than new company‑specific catalysts. Zacks: Industry outlook / stock commentary
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary has revived speculation about a possible stock split given the share price level and recent capital returns; this is speculative and would be a sentiment boost if announced. MarketBeat: 3 Stocks That Could Be Next to Announce a Stock Split
• Negative Sentiment: Jefferies trimmed its price target to $1,700 (from $1,850) while keeping a buy rating — a modestly negative signal that tempers upside expectations and may limit near‑term analyst momentum despite the buyback. Benzinga: Jefferies lowers KLAC price target
• Negative Sentiment: Some intraday/technical commentary flagged a pullback in recent sessions (short‑term volatility reports); investors should watch near‑term profit‑taking given the stock’s strong multi‑quarter run. Zacks: Sector commentary and recent price action

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on KLAC shares. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on KLA from $1,550.00 to $1,600.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of KLA from $1,595.00 to $1,700.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of KLA from $1,450.00 to $1,650.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Susquehanna reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $1,500.00 price objective on shares of KLA in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Evercore boosted their target price on shares of KLA from $1,350.00 to $1,700.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,602.29.

Insider Activity at KLA

In related news, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 2,254 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,237.01, for a total value of $2,788,220.54. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 32,154 shares in the company, valued at approximately $39,774,819.54. This represents a 6.55% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 91.48% of the company’s stock.

KLA Trading Up 0.6%

NASDAQ:KLAC opened at $1,418.64 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $1,464.40 and a 200 day simple moving average of $1,240.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $185.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 1.45. KLA Corporation has a 1-year low of $551.33 and a 1-year high of $1,693.35. The company has a quick ratio of 2.00, a current ratio of 2.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last posted 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 98.18% and a net margin of 35.76%.The firm had revenue of $3.30 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.25 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $8.20 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that KLA Corporation will post 31.59 earnings per share for the current year.

KLA Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were issued a dividend of $1.90 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $7.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. KLA’s payout ratio is currently 22.11%.

KLA announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, March 12th that permits the company to buyback $7.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the semiconductor company to repurchase up to 3.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

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.