KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.10 EPS

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The semiconductor company reported $8.85 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.75 by $0.10, FiscalAI reports. KLA had a net margin of 33.83% and a return on equity of 107.26%. The business had revenue of $3.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.25 billion.

KLA Trading Up 3.5%

Shares of KLA stock traded up $57.51 during trading on Thursday, reaching $1,684.71. 1,481,216 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,180,836. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $1,307.44 and a 200-day moving average price of $1,117.76. The firm has a market capitalization of $221.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.90, a P/E/G ratio of 3.88 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a quick ratio of 1.88, a current ratio of 2.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. KLA has a twelve month low of $551.33 and a twelve month high of $1,693.35.

KLA Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, November 17th were paid a dividend of $1.90 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 17th. This represents a $7.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. KLA’s payout ratio is 23.86%.

Insider Activity at KLA

In related news, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 2,254 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief financial officer owned 32,154 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $39,774,819.54. This trade represents a 6.55% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 81,211 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $97,704,954.10. This trade represents a 11.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 91.48% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in KLAC. Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC. lifted its stake in KLA by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC. now owns 5,359 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $5,781,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Horizon Investments LLC grew its position in KLA by 30.1% in the third quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 10,981 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $11,844,000 after purchasing an additional 2,540 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group lifted its position in KLA by 17.3% during the 3rd quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 1,658 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,788,000 after buying an additional 245 shares in the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its stake in shares of KLA by 13.8% during the 2nd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 5,118 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $4,584,000 after buying an additional 619 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Monetary Management Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of KLA by 0.4% in the second quarter. Monetary Management Group Inc. now owns 3,773 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $3,380,000 after buying an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

More KLA News

Here are the key news stories impacting KLA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: KLA beat estimates for the quarter — GAAP diluted EPS $8.68, non‑GAAP EPS $8.85 (consensus $8.75) and revenue $3.30B (consensus ~$3.25B). Management also provided investor materials (slide deck). Read More. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Results showed strong cash flow and capital returns: operating cash flow $1.37B this quarter ($4.77B LTM), free cash flow $1.26B ($4.38B LTM), and $797.4M returned to shareholders this quarter ($3.01B LTM). This supports buybacks/dividends and investor confidence. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Several firms raised ratings/targets — Wolfe Research to $1,800, Evercore ISI to $1,700, Wells Fargo upgraded to Overweight (PT $1,600), and KLA is cited among Goldman Sachs’ top semiconductor picks. Analyst support likely boosted buying. Read More. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: High-profile bullish commentary (e.g., Jim Cramer noting persistent equipment demand/“shortage that can’t be met”) adds retail/institutional momentum. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Pre-earnings previews and coverage set expectations and drove attention to the print; these pieces are informational rather than new catalysts. Read More.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KLAC has been the topic of several recent research reports. BNP Paribas Exane lifted their price objective on KLA from $820.00 to $1,200.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of KLA from $1,260.00 to $1,600.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Needham & Company LLC increased their price objective on shares of KLA from $1,350.00 to $1,800.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of KLA to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price target on KLA from $1,350.00 to $1,700.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,477.64.

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.