New Street Research Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) Stock

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) had its price objective raised by equities researchers at New Street Research from $1,315.00 to $1,460.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage currently has a “neutral” rating on the semiconductor company’s stock. New Street Research’s price objective indicates a potential upside of 2.25% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other analysts have also commented on the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of KLA in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of KLA from $1,070.00 to $1,485.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on KLA from $1,400.00 to $1,800.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday. Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of KLA from $1,350.00 to $1,700.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $1,450.00 target price on shares of KLA in a research report on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, KLA has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,570.39.

KLA Price Performance

KLAC stock opened at $1,427.94 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $187.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.88 and a current ratio of 2.69. KLA has a 52-week low of $551.33 and a 52-week high of $1,693.35. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,325.70 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,125.21.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last announced its quarterly 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 return on equity of 103.06% and a net margin of 35.76%.The business had revenue of $3.30 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.25 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $8.20 earnings per share. KLA’s revenue was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that KLA will post 31.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 10,803 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,203.10, for a total value of $12,997,089.30. Following the completion of the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 2,254 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,237.01, for a total transaction of $2,788,220.54. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 32,154 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $39,774,819.54. This represents a 6.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 91.48% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its holdings in KLA by 1.1% in the second quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 188,735 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $169,056,000 after purchasing an additional 2,117 shares in the last quarter. Close Asset Management Ltd bought a new stake in KLA during the 3rd quarter valued at about $133,209,000. Winslow Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of KLA during the second quarter valued at approximately $95,217,000. Achmea Investment Management B.V. increased its holdings in shares of KLA by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter. Achmea Investment Management B.V. now owns 104,507 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $112,721,000 after purchasing an additional 6,109 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S increased its holdings in KLA by 5.8% in the 3rd quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S now owns 101,382 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $109,351,000 after buying an additional 5,586 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

More KLA News

Here are the key news stories impacting KLA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: KLA beat expectations for Q2: revenue of $3.30B and non‑GAAP EPS $8.85, topping consensus and showing year‑over‑year growth. Reuters: KLA Corp beats quarterly results
• Positive Sentiment: Strong cash flow and capital returns: management reported robust operating cash flow and meaningful share repurchases/dividends that support shareholder returns. PR Newswire: KLA fiscal Q2 results
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support remains, with recent price‑target lifts and buy/overweight calls (Needham, Berenberg, RBC), leaving upside per some models. The Fly: RBC raises KLA PT MarketScreener: Berenberg raises PT Benzinga: Needham reaffirmation
• Neutral Sentiment: Management sees advanced‑packaging revenue rising mid‑to‑high teens in 2026, driven by AI demand for process‑control tools — a structural tailwind but timing is variable. Seeking Alpha: Advanced packaging outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Quarter materials, slide deck and call transcript are available for deeper read; they show strength but also careful wording on near‑term demand. Seeking Alpha: Earnings call transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Forward guide disappointed some: Q3 EPS range (8.30–9.86) and revenue range ($3.2B–$3.5B) leave the midpoint roughly in line to slightly below Street EPS expectations and include a wide revenue band — investors sold the stock on guidance uncertainty. Yahoo Finance: Q2 highlights & guidance
• Negative Sentiment: Market worries about the WFE (wafer‑fab equipment) outlook and timing of customer ramps—analysts flagged caution, which pressured the stock despite the beat. Seeking Alpha: WFE outlook concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation concerns: at its elevated multiple, some analysts and investors see limited near‑term upside, tempering reaction to the beat. Benzinga: Valuation offsets strengths
• Negative Sentiment: Unusually large put buying and elevated insider/institutional selling flagged on trading screens — options flow and visible sell pressure likely amplified the intraday decline. Quiver Quant: puts, insider sales and data

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.