KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) Price Target Cut to $1,700.00 by Analysts at Jefferies Financial Group

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) had its target price lowered by Jefferies Financial Group from $1,850.00 to $1,700.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the semiconductor company’s stock.

KLAC has been the topic of a number of other research reports. UBS Group set a $1,575.00 price target on KLA in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $1,630.00 price objective on KLA in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Argus upped their target price on KLA from $1,400.00 to $1,750.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on KLA from $1,550.00 to $1,600.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Berenberg Bank lifted their price target on shares of KLA from $1,760.00 to $1,770.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,602.29.

KLA Stock Up 0.6%

KLAC opened at $1,418.64 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $1,464.40 and a two-hundred day moving average of $1,238.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $185.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.28, a PEG ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.45. KLA has a fifty-two week low of $551.33 and a fifty-two week high of $1,693.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 2.00 and a current ratio of 2.83.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The semiconductor company reported $8.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $8.75 by $0.10. KLA had a net margin of 35.76% and a return on equity of 98.18%. The business had revenue of $3.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.25 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $8.20 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that KLA will post 31.59 earnings per share for the current year.

KLA announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Thursday, March 12th that permits the company to buyback $7.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the semiconductor company to purchase up to 3.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

KLA Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were paid a $1.90 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $7.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. KLA’s payout ratio is currently 22.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 2,254 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,237.01, for a total value of $2,788,220.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 32,154 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $39,774,819.54. This represents a 6.55% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 91.48% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On KLA

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Close Asset Management Ltd purchased a new position in shares of KLA in the third quarter worth about $133,209,000. Winslow Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in KLA during the 2nd quarter valued at about $95,217,000. Achmea Investment Management B.V. grew its stake in KLA by 6.2% during the 3rd quarter. Achmea Investment Management B.V. now owns 104,507 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $112,721,000 after acquiring an additional 6,109 shares in the last quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S raised its holdings in KLA by 5.8% in the 3rd quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S now owns 101,382 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $109,351,000 after acquiring an additional 5,586 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Loomis Sayles & Co. L P lifted its stake in KLA by 5,697.9% in the 2nd quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 97,231 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $87,094,000 after purchasing an additional 95,554 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

KLA News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting KLA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: KLA announced a $7 billion buyback, raised its quarterly dividend ~21% (to $2.30), and reaffirmed March‑quarter guidance — a direct shareholder‑friendly action that typically supports the stock and EPS per share over time. PR Newswire: KLA Hosts Investor Day; Announces $7 Billion Repurchase and Dividend Increase
• Positive Sentiment: Oppenheimer raised its price target from $1,800 to $1,900 and kept an outperform rating — a bullish analyst signal that increases upside expectations for investors. TickerReport: Oppenheimer raises KLAC price target
• Neutral Sentiment: KLA hosted Investor Day (slides and presentations available). The event reinforced management messaging on demand drivers (AI/advanced packaging) and capital allocation, providing detail but not changing guidance. Useful for longer‑term thesis but less of an immediate shock. Seeking Alpha: KLA Investor Day Slideshow
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry pieces (Zacks, Yahoo/MarketBeat) reiterate KLA’s exposure to accelerating wafer‑fabrication and AI chip demand; these reinforce the secular growth story but are broader‑market context rather than new company‑specific catalysts. Zacks: Industry outlook / stock commentary
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary has revived speculation about a possible stock split given the share price level and recent capital returns; this is speculative and would be a sentiment boost if announced. MarketBeat: 3 Stocks That Could Be Next to Announce a Stock Split
• Negative Sentiment: Jefferies trimmed its price target to $1,700 (from $1,850) while keeping a buy rating — a modestly negative signal that tempers upside expectations and may limit near‑term analyst momentum despite the buyback. Benzinga: Jefferies lowers KLAC price target
• Negative Sentiment: Some intraday/technical commentary flagged a pullback in recent sessions (short‑term volatility reports); investors should watch near‑term profit‑taking given the stock’s strong multi‑quarter run. Zacks: Sector commentary and recent price action

About KLA

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.