KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) Price Target Raised to $1,460.00 at New Street Research

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) had its price objective boosted by New Street Research from $1,315.00 to $1,460.00 in a research note issued on Friday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage currently has a “neutral” rating on the semiconductor company’s stock. New Street Research’s price target indicates a potential upside of 2.25% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other brokerages have also commented on KLAC. Zacks Research raised KLA from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 16th. TD Cowen upgraded shares of KLA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $1,300.00 to $1,800.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on KLA from $1,070.00 to $1,485.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $1,800.00 price objective on shares of KLA in a research report on Friday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on KLA from $1,600.00 to $1,900.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,570.39.

KLA Trading Down 15.2%

Shares of KLA stock opened at $1,427.94 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $187.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.55, a P/E/G ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.88 and a current ratio of 2.69. The company has a fifty day moving average of $1,325.70 and a 200 day moving average of $1,125.21. KLA has a fifty-two week low of $551.33 and a fifty-two week high of $1,693.35.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The semiconductor company reported $8.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $8.75 by $0.10. KLA had a return on equity of 103.06% and a net margin of 35.76%.The company had revenue of $3.30 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.25 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $8.20 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that KLA will post 31.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at KLA

In other news, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 10,803 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,203.10, for a total value of $12,997,089.30. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 81,211 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $97,704,954.10. This represents a 11.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 2,254 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,237.01, for a total transaction of $2,788,220.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 32,154 shares in the company, valued at approximately $39,774,819.54. This trade represents a 6.55% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 91.48% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On KLA

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KLAC. Ulland Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of KLA during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Sentry Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of KLA in the second quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Arlington Trust Co LLC boosted its stake in KLA by 125.0% during the 3rd quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC now owns 36 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new position in KLA during the third quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. acquired a new position in shares of KLA during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $43,000. 86.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about KLA

Here are the key news stories impacting KLA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: KLA beat expectations for Q2: revenue of $3.30B and non‑GAAP EPS $8.85, topping consensus and showing year‑over‑year growth. Reuters: KLA Corp beats quarterly results
• Positive Sentiment: Strong cash flow and capital returns: management reported robust operating cash flow and meaningful share repurchases/dividends that support shareholder returns. PR Newswire: KLA fiscal Q2 results
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support remains, with recent price‑target lifts and buy/overweight calls (Needham, Berenberg, RBC), leaving upside per some models. The Fly: RBC raises KLA PT MarketScreener: Berenberg raises PT Benzinga: Needham reaffirmation
• Neutral Sentiment: Management sees advanced‑packaging revenue rising mid‑to‑high teens in 2026, driven by AI demand for process‑control tools — a structural tailwind but timing is variable. Seeking Alpha: Advanced packaging outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Quarter materials, slide deck and call transcript are available for deeper read; they show strength but also careful wording on near‑term demand. Seeking Alpha: Earnings call transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Forward guide disappointed some: Q3 EPS range (8.30–9.86) and revenue range ($3.2B–$3.5B) leave the midpoint roughly in line to slightly below Street EPS expectations and include a wide revenue band — investors sold the stock on guidance uncertainty. Yahoo Finance: Q2 highlights & guidance
• Negative Sentiment: Market worries about the WFE (wafer‑fab equipment) outlook and timing of customer ramps—analysts flagged caution, which pressured the stock despite the beat. Seeking Alpha: WFE outlook concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation concerns: at its elevated multiple, some analysts and investors see limited near‑term upside, tempering reaction to the beat. Benzinga: Valuation offsets strengths
• Negative Sentiment: Unusually large put buying and elevated insider/institutional selling flagged on trading screens — options flow and visible sell pressure likely amplified the intraday decline. Quiver Quant: puts, insider sales and data

KLA Company Profile

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.