KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) Updates Q3 2026 Earnings Guidance

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) updated its third quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Friday. The company provided EPS guidance of 8.300-9.860 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 8.960. The company issued revenue guidance of $3.2 billion-$3.5 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $3.3 billion.

KLA Price Performance

Shares of KLA stock opened at $1,684.71 on Friday. KLA has a 52 week low of $551.33 and a 52 week high of $1,693.35. The company has a current ratio of 2.69, a quick ratio of 1.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $1,319.08 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $1,121.69. The stock has a market cap of $221.35 billion, a PE ratio of 52.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.90 and a beta of 1.45.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The semiconductor company reported $8.85 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.75 by $0.10. KLA had a net margin of 33.83% and a return on equity of 107.26%. The business had revenue of $3.30 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.25 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that KLA will post 31.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

KLA Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on KLAC. Susquehanna reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $1,500.00 price objective on shares of KLA in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Wolfe Research boosted their price target on KLA from $1,500.00 to $1,800.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday. Barclays set a $1,700.00 price objective on shares of KLA in a research report on Friday. TD Cowen raised shares of KLA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $1,300.00 to $1,800.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Berenberg Bank raised their price target on shares of KLA from $1,010.00 to $1,460.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,481.75.

Insider Buying and Selling at KLA

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

KLA News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting KLA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 results beat and strong cash returns: KLA reported revenue of $3.30B and non‑GAAP EPS $8.85, both above Street expectations; free cash flow and capital returns remain robust. This supports valuation and long‑term cash generation. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: AI and advanced packaging tailwind: Management said advanced‑packaging revenue should grow mid‑ to high‑teens in 2026 as AI semiconductor demand boosts process‑control tool sales — a structural growth argument for investors. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support and momentum: Recent upgrades and higher price targets (e.g., Wells Fargo) and coverage citing tight industry capacity have reinforced bullish sentiment heading into 2026. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings materials and transcript available for deeper review: Management slide deck and full earnings/transcript let investors verify unit demand, backlog and customer commentary. Presentation Transcript
• Negative Sentiment:
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction — stock dipped: Despite the beat, shares slipped after hours as investors focused on the mixed outlook and phrasing on customer order timing and supply dynamics. Article Title

Institutional Trading of KLA

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of KLAC. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in KLA during the 3rd quarter valued at $40,000. WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new position in shares of KLA during the second quarter worth approximately $90,000. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC raised its position in shares of KLA by 2.9% in the third quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC now owns 358 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $386,000 after buying an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. Seven Mile Advisory acquired a new stake in shares of KLA in the third quarter valued at approximately $444,000. Finally, DF Dent & Co. Inc. bought a new stake in shares of KLA in the third quarter valued at approximately $832,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

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.