Key Points
- KLA CEO Richard Wallace sold 72,019 shares at an average price of $171.88, generating $12.38 million and reducing his direct stake by 9.25% to 706,925 shares.
- KLA recently exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $1.05 in EPS and $3.66 billion in revenue, with year-over-year revenue growth of 15.2%.
- Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and a $222.22 price target; institutional investors own 86.65% of the company.
KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) CEO Richard Wallace sold 72,019 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.88, for a total transaction of $12,378,625.72. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 706,925 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $121,506,269. This trade represents a 9.25% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.
KLA Stock Down 0.4%
KLA stock opened at $167.36 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.03, a current ratio of 2.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. KLA Corporation has a 12-month low of $97.63 and a 12-month high of $307.37. The firm's fifty day moving average is $194.13 and its 200 day moving average is $190.49. The company has a market capitalization of $218.66 billion, a PE ratio of 45.64, a PEG ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.45.
KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The semiconductor company reported $1.05 earnings per share (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 analyst estimates of $3.61 billion. KLA had a net margin of 35.57% and a return on equity of 87.66%. KLA's revenue was up 15.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.94 earnings per share. KLA has set its Q1 2027 guidance at 1.060-1.260 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that KLA Corporation will post 5.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.
KLA Increases Dividend
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 17th were given a dividend of $0.23 per share. This is a boost from KLA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 17th. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. KLA's payout ratio is currently 25.07%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Zacks Research raised KLA from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Barclays reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $225.00 target price on shares of KLA in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Scotiabank set a $200.00 price target on shares of KLA in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of KLA from $210.00 to $317.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $245.00 price objective on shares of KLA and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $222.22.
Check Out Our Latest Research Report on KLAC
Hedge Funds Weigh In On KLA
Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Basepoint Wealth LLC bought a new stake in KLA during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in KLA in the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. Nemes Rush Group LLC increased its position in shares of KLA by 17.1% during the 4th quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC now owns 48 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 7 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its stake in shares of KLA by 36.4% during the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 60 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $88,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares during the period. Finally, Principia Wealth Advisory LLC raised its stake in shares of KLA by 2,000.0% during the 4th quarter. Principia Wealth Advisory LLC now owns 84 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $102,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.65% of the company's stock.
KLA Company Profile
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Get Free Report)
KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) develops process-control and yield-management technologies used by semiconductor and other advanced-electronics manufacturers. Its systems help customers detect, measure and analyze defects and variations during the production of integrated circuits, enabling manufacturers to improve process performance, product quality and manufacturing yields.
The company's portfolio includes wafer and reticle inspection systems, metrology and measurement tools, defect-review and analysis equipment, and software that supports process control and data management.
Further Reading
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