KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) Stock Price Target Cut by Cantor Fitzgerald

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) had its price target lowered by Cantor Fitzgerald from $325.00 to $225.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the semiconductor company’s stock. Cantor Fitzgerald‘s target price would indicate a potential upside of 41.71% from the company’s current price.

A number of other research firms also recently commented on KLAC. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $210.00 price objective (up from $200.00) on shares of KLA in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of KLA from $200.00 to $238.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Morgan Stanley set a $227.00 target price on shares of KLA and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $260.00 target price (up from $200.00) on shares of KLA in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of KLA from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, September 28th. Nineteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $214.77.

KLA Stock Performance

KLA stock opened at $158.77 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $207.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a current ratio of 2.88, a quick ratio of 2.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $179.57 and a 200-day moving average of $181.57. KLA has a 52 week low of $107.20 and a 52 week high of $307.37.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The semiconductor company reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.18 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $4.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.04 billion. KLA had a net margin of 35.57% and a return on equity of 87.66%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 28.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $8.47 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that KLA will post 5.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at KLA

In related news, EVP Brian Lorig sold 59,586 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.13, for a total transaction of $12,401,634.18. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 77,681 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,167,746.53. This represents a 43.41% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP MaryBeth Wilkinson sold 13,802 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.50, for a total transaction of $2,698,291.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 22,110 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,322,505. This trade represents a 38.43% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 243,339 shares of company stock worth $46,903,454 in the last quarter. 79.39% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On KLA

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in KLAC. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of KLA in the third quarter worth $377,898,000. ProShare Advisors LLC raised its position in KLA by 4.8% during the third quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 1,681,622 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $327,799,000 after buying an additional 77,196 shares during the period. Vise Technologies Inc. raised its position in KLA by 11.7% during the third quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 71,185 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $13,876,000 after buying an additional 7,440 shares during the period. Invera Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in KLA by 7.0% during the third quarter. Invera Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,071 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $404,000 after buying an additional 136 shares during the period. Finally, Americana Partners LLC lifted its stake in KLA by 8.6% in the 3rd quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 21,042 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $4,102,000 after acquiring an additional 1,664 shares in the last quarter. 86.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about KLA

Here are the key news stories impacting KLA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: KLA reported fiscal Q1 revenue of $4.14 billion, above the $4.04 billion analyst consensus and up 28.9% year over year. Non-GAAP earnings of $1.22 per share also exceeded the $1.18 consensus estimate. KLA Corporation Reports Fiscal 2027 First Quarter Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management forecast fiscal Q2 revenue of $4.5 billion to $4.9 billion, implying a $4.7 billion midpoint that is above market expectations. The guidance suggests continued momentum in process-control and inspection equipment demand. KLA Expects Q2 Revenue Range
• Positive Sentiment: KLA expects the wafer-fabrication equipment market to exceed $200 billion in 2027. That forecast, combined with SK Hynix’s expectation of a prolonged memory shortage, points to potentially stronger and longer-lasting fab investment across the semiconductor industry. KLA Forecasts December-Quarter Revenue
• Neutral Sentiment: Strong cash generation remains supportive: KLA produced $1.53 billion in quarterly operating cash flow and returned $1.24 billion to shareholders, although elevated capital returns may limit the immediate impact of this factor on valuation. KLA Fiscal 2027 Results
• Negative Sentiment: At roughly 43 times earnings and below its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, KLAC remains vulnerable to concerns about valuation, AI-spending sustainability and broader market rotation. These risks could temper the rally despite the strong earnings outlook.

About KLA

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.