KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-eight analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and sixteen have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $1,370.6786.

Several research analysts have recently commented on KLAC shares. BNP Paribas Exane raised their price target on KLA from $820.00 to $1,200.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of KLA in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wolfe Research set a $1,500.00 target price on KLA in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on shares of KLA in a research note on Wednesday. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $1,550.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Susquehanna reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $1,500.00 price objective on shares of KLA in a research note on Monday.

Insider Buying and Selling at KLA

In related news, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 2,254 shares of KLA 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 transaction, the chief financial officer owned 32,154 shares in the company, valued at $39,774,819.54. The trade was a 6.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 10,803 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,203.10, for a total transaction of $12,997,089.30. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 81,211 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $97,704,954.10. This trade represents a 11.74% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 91.48% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On KLA

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC lifted its stake in KLA by 46.0% during the first quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,608 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,093,000 after purchasing an additional 507 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in KLA by 334.8% during the first quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 100 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $68,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of KLA by 31.1% during the 1st quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 447 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $304,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP acquired a new position in shares of KLA in the 1st quarter valued at $738,000. Finally, Great Lakes Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of KLA by 3.8% in the 1st quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 1,187 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $807,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

KLA Price Performance

Shares of KLAC opened at $1,434.50 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,232.27 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,073.47. The stock has a market cap of $188.48 billion, a PE ratio of 45.04, a P/E/G ratio of 3.84 and a beta of 1.45. KLA has a 1-year low of $551.33 and a 1-year high of $1,469.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 2.69 and a quick ratio of 1.88.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The semiconductor company reported $8.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.47 by $0.34. The firm had revenue of $3.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.17 billion. KLA had a net margin of 33.83% and a return on equity of 107.26%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $7.33 EPS. KLA has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 7.920-9.480 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that KLA will post 31.59 EPS for the current year.

KLA Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 17th were given a dividend of $1.90 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 17th. This represents a $7.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. KLA’s dividend payout ratio is currently 23.86%.

KLA News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting KLA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bernstein initiated coverage with an “Outperform” and Stacy Rasgon set a $1,700 price target — a fresh analyst endorsement that supports higher upside expectations. Bernstein Initiates Coverage
• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen upgraded KLAC from Hold to Buy and raised its price target to $1,800 — the most aggressive recent target, which investors may view as a catalyst for further re-rating. TD Cowen Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America bumped its price target to $1,650 and maintains a Buy — another institutional upgrade adding to the consensus of higher fair-value estimates. BofA Price Target Raise
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst price-target dispersion: Quiver Quant shows a median 6‑month target around $1,350 but multiple recent targets range from ~$1,450 to $1,800 — indicating bullish skew but some variability among firms. Institutional flows are mixed (large buys by some managers, reductions by others). Quiver Quant Analyst Snapshot
• Negative Sentiment: Notable insider selling over the past six months (multiple executives have sold shares) — could concern some investors about opportunistic exits at current levels. Insider Trading Details

About KLA

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.