KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) Price Target Raised to $2,000.00

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) had its target price raised by Cantor Fitzgerald from $1,850.00 to $2,000.00 in a report issued on Monday morning, Marketbeat reports. The brokerage currently has an overweight rating on the semiconductor company’s stock.

Several other equities analysts have also commented on KLAC. Rothschild & Co Redburn increased their price objective on KLA from $1,300.00 to $1,400.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on KLA from $1,800.00 to $1,900.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Citigroup upped their target price on KLA from $1,450.00 to $1,800.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $1,835.00 price target on shares of KLA and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Finally, Wolfe Research reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $1,800.00 price target on shares of KLA in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Twenty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,607.64.

KLA Stock Performance

KLA stock opened at $1,519.84 on Monday. KLA has a fifty-two week low of $551.33 and a fifty-two week high of $1,693.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 2.00 and a current ratio of 2.83. The stock has a market cap of $199.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.44. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $1,474.00 and its 200-day moving average price is $1,294.06.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last announced its earnings results 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 net margin of 35.76% and a return on equity of 98.18%. The company had revenue of $3.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.25 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $8.20 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that KLA will post 31.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

KLA announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Thursday, March 12th that authorizes the company to buyback $7.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the semiconductor company to reacquire up to 3.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

KLA Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th were given a dividend of $1.90 per share. This represents a $7.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 17th. KLA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.11%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On KLA

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KLAC. Basepoint Wealth LLC bought a new stake in KLA in the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Arlington Trust Co LLC raised its stake in shares of KLA by 125.0% during the third quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC now owns 36 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of KLA during the third quarter worth about $40,000. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of KLA during the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. bought a new stake in shares of KLA in the third quarter worth about $43,000. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

KLA News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting KLA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald raised its price target on KLAC to $2,000 and reiterated an Overweight (top-pick) stance — a bullish, high-conviction upgrade that supports further upside. Cantor Fitzgerald Raises Price Target on KLA to $2,000 Street Insider Coverage
• Positive Sentiment: KLA announced an additional $7 billion share-repurchase program and raised its quarterly dividend by 21% — a capital-return move that reduces float and boosts EPS accretion, a clear shareholder-friendly catalyst. KLA Announces Additional $7 Billion Share Buyback and Dividend Increase
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst and earnings commentary point to continued outperformance — KLA has a history of beating estimates and recent results showed revenue and EPS beats, supporting bullish expectations for upcoming quarters. Why KLA Could Beat Earnings Estimates Again
• Neutral Sentiment: New Street Research raised its price target from $1,230 to $1,460 but kept a Neutral rating — a moderate target lift that is less bullish than some peers and signals varied analyst views on valuation upside. New Street Adjusts Price Target on KLA to $1,460
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader market tailwinds — equities rallied on signs of easing geopolitical risk (U.S./Iran) which helped semiconductor names rebound, a macro factor that likely lifted KLAC alongside the sector. Stocks Surge on Signs the US and Iran Seek to End War
• Neutral Sentiment: Peer strength: Applied Materials’ strong YTD performance and AI-driven demand narrative are boosting sentiment across chip-equipment names, indirectly supporting KLAC. Applied Materials Stock Climbs 33% YTD
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling and large institutional portfolio shifts are visible in recent data (executive stock sales and some big fund rebalances), which can add short-term supply pressure or signal profit-taking even amid positive headlines. $KLAC stock is up 5% today. Here’s what we see in our 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.