VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al Sells 3,880 Shares of KLA Corporation $KLAC

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al reduced its holdings in KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 407,220 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 3,880 shares during the quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al’s holdings in KLA were worth $79,379,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Partners Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in KLA in the 3rd quarter worth $375,000. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in KLA by 5.7% during the 3rd quarter. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,870 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,144,000 after purchasing an additional 317 shares in the last quarter. Founders Financial Securities LLC increased its holdings in KLA by 63.0% during the 3rd quarter. Founders Financial Securities LLC now owns 2,896 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $565,000 after purchasing an additional 1,119 shares in the last quarter. Crew Capital Management Ltd raised its stake in shares of KLA by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. Crew Capital Management Ltd now owns 11,220 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,187,000 after purchasing an additional 388 shares during the period. Finally, United Asset Strategies Inc. raised its stake in shares of KLA by 369.7% in the 3rd quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc. now owns 6,435 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,254,000 after purchasing an additional 5,065 shares during the period. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

More KLA News

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KLAC has been the subject of a number of research reports. Piper Sandler set a $425.00 price objective on KLA in a report on Thursday. Stifel Nicolaus set a $230.00 target price on KLA and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $180.00 price target (down from $190.00) on shares of KLA in a research report on Thursday. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $225.00 price target on shares of KLA in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of KLA from $238.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Nineteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, KLA has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $220.35.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other KLA news, CAO Virendra Kirloskar sold 4,504 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.50, for a total value of $880,532.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 7,972 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,558,526. This trade represents a 36.10% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP MaryBeth Wilkinson sold 13,802 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $195.50, for a total value of $2,698,291.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 22,110 shares in the company, valued at $4,322,505. This trade represents a 38.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 243,339 shares of company stock valued at $46,903,454. 79.39% of the stock is owned by insiders.

KLA Stock Down 5.7%

KLAC stock opened at $157.91 on Friday. KLA Corporation has a 1-year low of $107.20 and a 1-year high of $307.37. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $178.62 and its 200 day simple moving average is $181.78. The company has a current ratio of 2.76, a quick ratio of 2.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $206.07 billion, a PE ratio of 39.48, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.45.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The semiconductor company reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.18 by $0.04. KLA had a net margin of 36.25% and a return on equity of 89.30%. The business had revenue of $4.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.04 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $8.47 EPS. KLA’s quarterly revenue was up 28.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that KLA Corporation will post 5.56 EPS for the current year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 17th were issued a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 17th. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from KLA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. KLA’s payout ratio is presently 23.00%.

KLA 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.