KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) have been given an average rating of “Hold” by the twenty-two brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $1,040.65.

Several analysts recently weighed in on KLAC shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of KLA in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of KLA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, July 5th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of KLA from $1,035.00 to $1,060.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted their price objective on shares of KLA from $800.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of KLA from $980.00 to $1,120.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th.

Insider Activity at KLA

In related news, insider Ahmad A. Khan sold 13,716 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $881.50, for a total value of $12,090,654.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 27,372 shares in the company, valued at $24,128,418. The trade was a 33.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 10,801 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $913.68, for a total transaction of $9,868,657.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 92,818 shares in the company, valued at approximately $84,805,950.24. The trade was a 10.42% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 32,566 shares of company stock worth $29,313,522 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 91.48% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On KLA

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in KLAC. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of KLA by 40.1% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,463 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,674,000 after purchasing an additional 705 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of KLA by 5.3% during the first quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 439 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $298,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the period. Golden State Equity Partners acquired a new position in shares of KLA during the first quarter valued at about $201,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of KLA by 545.9% during the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 239 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $162,000 after purchasing an additional 202 shares during the period. Finally, HBK Sorce Advisory LLC raised its holdings in shares of KLA by 23.9% during the first quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 1,085 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $737,000 after purchasing an additional 209 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

KLA Stock Performance

NASDAQ KLAC opened at $1,235.28 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $1,023.51 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $895.33. The stock has a market cap of $162.67 billion, a PE ratio of 40.65, a PEG ratio of 3.48 and a beta of 1.50. KLA has a fifty-two week low of $551.33 and a fifty-two week high of $1,259.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 1.83 and a current ratio of 2.62.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The semiconductor company reported $8.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $8.47 by $0.34. KLA had a net margin of 33.41% and a return on equity of 112.41%. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $7.33 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. KLA has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 7.920-9.480 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that KLA will post 31.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

KLA Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th were issued a $1.90 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 18th. This represents a $7.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. KLA’s payout ratio is presently 25.01%.

About KLA

KLA Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, manufacture, and marketing of process control, process-enabling, and yield management solutions for the semiconductor and related electronics industries worldwide. It operates through three segments: Semiconductor Process Control; Specialty Semiconductor Process; and PCB and Component Inspection.