KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) Issues Q2 2027 Earnings Guidance

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) updated its second quarter 2027 earnings guidance on Friday. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 1.330-1.550 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 1.360. The company issued revenue guidance of $4.5 billion-$4.9 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $4.5 billion.

KLA Price Performance

KLA stock opened at $157.91 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $206.07 billion, a PE ratio of 39.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.45. KLA has a 52-week low of $107.20 and a 52-week high of $307.37. The company has a quick ratio of 2.03, a current ratio of 2.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88. The company’s 50 day moving average is $178.62 and its two-hundred day moving average is $181.78.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The semiconductor company reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.18 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $4.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.04 billion. KLA had a net margin of 36.25% and a return on equity of 89.30%. The firm’s revenue was up 28.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $8.47 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that KLA will post 5.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 17th were issued a dividend of $0.23 per share. This is a positive change from KLA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 17th. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. KLA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on KLAC shares. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and set a $200.00 target price (down from $270.00) on shares of KLA in a research note on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $210.00 price objective (up from $200.00) on shares of KLA in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Cantor Fitzgerald set a $240.00 price objective on shares of KLA and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $225.00 price objective on shares of KLA in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of KLA from $290.00 to $275.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Nineteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, KLA currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $220.35.

Insider Activity at KLA

In related news, CAO Virendra A. Kirloskar sold 4,504 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $195.50, for a total value of $880,532.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 7,972 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,558,526. This trade represents a 36.10% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Brian Lorig sold 59,586 shares of KLA stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $208.13, for a total transaction of $12,401,634.18. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 77,681 shares in the company, valued at $16,167,746.53. This represents a 43.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 243,339 shares of company stock valued at $46,903,454. Corporate insiders own 79.39% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting KLA

Here are the key news stories impacting KLA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: KLA reported fiscal Q1 2027 revenue of approximately $4.14 billion and earnings of $1.22 per share, exceeding Wall Street expectations of $4.04 billion and $1.18 per share. Revenue increased 28.9% year over year, marking the company’s 10th consecutive quarter of growth. KLAC Q1 Earnings Beat Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: The company issued fiscal Q2 revenue guidance of $4.5 billion to $4.9 billion, implying roughly $4.7 billion at the midpoint versus consensus of $4.5 billion. EPS guidance of $1.33 to $1.55 also brackets or exceeds the $1.36 consensus estimate, reinforcing expectations for continued AI-driven demand. KLA Q2 Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Demand for wafer inspection, process-control and advanced-packaging equipment is benefiting from the increasing complexity of AI chips and the construction of leading-edge semiconductor fabs. Argus reaffirmed its Buy rating with a $225 price target, while JPMorgan raised its target to $240 and maintained Overweight. Advanced Packaging Demand
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst opinion remains mixed. Several firms lowered price targets after earnings—including Wells Fargo, Needham, Evercore ISI, Cantor Fitzgerald, Susquehanna and UBS—citing valuation, structural share headwinds or a more cautious risk-reward profile, even though many retained positive or neutral ratings.
• Negative Sentiment: KLAC is declining in sympathy with semiconductor shares as investors question whether elevated AI infrastructure spending can continue at its current pace. The pullback also leaves the stock below its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, increasing near-term technical pressure despite the strong operating outlook. KLA Shares Weaken as Semiconductor Stocks Fall

KLA Company Profile

KLA Corporation (NASDAQ: KLAC) develops process control, inspection and yield management solutions for the semiconductor and other advanced manufacturing industries. Its technologies help manufacturers identify defects, measure critical dimensions and monitor production processes to improve quality, reliability and manufacturing efficiency.

The company’s product portfolio includes wafer and reticle inspection systems, metrology and measurement tools, defect review and classification systems, and software for analyzing manufacturing data.