KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) Sets New 1-Year High – Still a Buy?

Shares of KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $2,158.00 and last traded at $2,168.40, with a volume of 8693 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $2,108.06.

Key Headlines Impacting KLA

Here are the key news stories impacting KLA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: An analyst raised KLA’s price target by 25%, giving investors another sign of confidence in the company’s outlook and helping the stock outperform the wider market. Article: Why KLA Corporation Stock Edged Past the Broader Market Today
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage highlighted that chip-equipment names like KLA are holding up better than semiconductor makers because demand for the tools that support advanced chip production remains strong. Article: AMAT, KLA, LRCX: Why Chip Gear Stocks Are Up despite the Pressure on AI Trade — June 10, 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary also noted KLA’s strong execution, growth in advanced packaging, and rising process-control demand, reinforcing the case for continued revenue and earnings momentum. Article: KLAC Stock Hits 52-Week High, Up 46% in 3 Months: Buy, Hold or Sell?
• Neutral Sentiment: KLA is also getting attention ahead of its June 12 10-for-1 stock split, which may boost trading interest but does not change the company’s underlying fundamentals. Article: Dear KLA Stock Fans, Mark Your Calendars for June 12
• Negative Sentiment: Broader semiconductor sentiment has been more cautious, with reports of shorts increasing across the sector and some analysts warning that the chip index may be entering a correction, which could weigh on KLAC if the group weakens further. Article: Semiconductor shorts pile on as winning trade reverses

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on KLAC. New Street Research boosted their price objective on KLA from $1,460.00 to $1,770.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price objective on KLA from $1,875.00 to $1,975.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on KLA from $1,900.00 to $2,100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted their price objective on KLA from $1,400.00 to $1,865.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on KLA from $1,800.00 to $2,064.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Twenty research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, KLA has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,878.00.

KLA Trading Down 0.2%

The company has a 50-day moving average price of $1,824.45 and a 200-day moving average price of $1,538.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $278.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 60.45, a PEG ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 1.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 2.11 and a current ratio of 3.03.

KLA’s stock is set to split on the morning of Friday, June 12th. The 10-1 split was announced on Thursday, May 7th. The newly minted shares will be distributed to shareholders after the closing bell on Thursday, June 11th.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The semiconductor company reported $9.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.17 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $3.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.37 billion. KLA had a return on equity of 91.89% and a net margin of 35.66%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 11.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $8.41 EPS. KLA has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 8.870-10.870 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that KLA Corporation will post 37.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 18th were given a dividend of $2.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 18th. This represents a $9.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. This is an increase from KLA’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.90. KLA’s payout ratio is currently 26.04%.

KLA declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Thursday, March 12th that allows the company to buyback $7.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the semiconductor company to purchase up to 3.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 4,512 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,794.00, for a total value of $8,094,528.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 75,895 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $136,155,630. This represents a 5.61% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 91.48% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of KLA

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of KLA by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 180,279 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $265,444,000 after purchasing an additional 1,291 shares during the period. Close Asset Management Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of KLA in the 3rd quarter valued at about $133,209,000. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd boosted its position in shares of KLA by 151.2% in the 1st quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 116,292 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $171,230,000 after purchasing an additional 70,000 shares during the period. Achmea Investment Management B.V. boosted its position 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 valued at $112,721,000 after purchasing an additional 6,109 shares during the period. Finally, Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of KLA by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC now owns 96,846 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $117,676,000 after purchasing an additional 374 shares during the period. 86.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.