KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) CAO Virendra Kirloskar sold 1,565 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $191.59, for a total transaction of $299,838.35. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 12,476 shares in the company, valued at $2,390,276.84. This represents a 11.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards.
KLA Stock Performance
NASDAQ KLAC opened at $195.45 on Wednesday. KLA Corporation has a 1-year low of $83.22 and a 1-year high of $307.37. The company has a 50 day moving average of $223.56 and a 200-day moving average of $182.42. The company has a current ratio of 2.88, a quick ratio of 2.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. The firm has a market cap of $255.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.30, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.45.
KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The semiconductor company reported $1.05 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $3.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.61 billion. KLA had a return on equity of 87.66% and a net margin of 35.57%.KLA's revenue was up 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.94 EPS. KLA has set its Q1 2027 guidance at 1.060-1.260 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that KLA Corporation will post 5.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
KLA Cuts Dividend
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 18th were paid a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 18th. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. KLA's payout ratio is currently 25.07%.
Institutional Trading of KLA
A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position in KLA by 86.6% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 4,063 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $4,937,000 after purchasing an additional 1,886 shares during the period. Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC grew its position in shares of KLA by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC now owns 96,846 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $117,676,000 after buying an additional 374 shares during the period. PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab acquired a new stake in shares of KLA during the 4th quarter worth approximately $119,618,000. Highland Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of KLA during the fourth quarter worth approximately $3,128,000. Finally, KTF Investments LLC acquired a new position in KLA in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $863,000. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
KLAC has been the subject of a number of research reports. Oppenheimer restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $260.00 target price (up from $200.00) on shares of KLA in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Zacks Research raised shares of KLA from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Barclays restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $225.00 price objective on shares of KLA in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of KLA in a research report on Wednesday, June 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $245.00 price target on shares of KLA and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, KLA presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $223.70.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on KLA
More KLA News
Here are the key news stories impacting KLA this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Semiconductor exchange-traded funds staged a sharp rebound as investors rotated back into the AI trade. The sector-wide move may be lifting demand expectations for KLA’s wafer-inspection and process-control equipment. Semiconductor ETFs Surge up to 19% in Huge Rally as the AI Trade Ramps Back Up
- Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity showed investors purchasing 13,127 KLA call contracts, about 48% above typical daily volume. The activity suggests some traders are positioning for a rebound, though options flows are not a guarantee of future performance.
- Positive Sentiment: One Wall Street view argues that KLA’s structural exposure to AI-related chip manufacturing could produce substantial long-term upside after the stock’s recent selloff. Analysts cited in the report generally maintain targets above the recent trading range. KLA Corporation Cratered 40% Over The Last 30 Days
- Neutral Sentiment: KLA’s latest quarterly results exceeded expectations, with revenue up 15.2% year over year and earnings above consensus. However, the company’s valuation remains elevated, with a reported price-to-earnings ratio above 50, increasing sensitivity to any slowdown in semiconductor spending.
- Negative Sentiment: Chief Accounting Officer Virendra Kirloskar and EVP Mary Beth Wilkinson sold shares worth approximately $300,000 and $823,000, respectively. Both transactions covered tax withholding tied to equity vesting, which makes them less concerning than discretionary sales, but they still add to a broader pattern of insider selling.
- Negative Sentiment: Recent coverage highlights that KLA has fallen sharply from its highs amid concerns about China exposure and whether AI-related chip spending can remain strong. Institutional ownership data also showed several large investors reducing their positions, reinforcing the cautious sentiment. Bearish Pressure Is Building Around These 3 Stocks
KLA Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
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.
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