KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) Price Target Raised to $1,770.00 at New Street Research

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) had its target price lifted by New Street Research from $1,460.00 to $1,770.00 in a research note released on Wednesday morning,MarketScreener reports. The firm currently has a neutral rating on the semiconductor company’s stock.

A number of other analysts have also commented on KLAC. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $2,000.00 price target on shares of KLA in a research note on Thursday. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised their price target on KLA from $1,300.00 to $1,400.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $1,450.00 price target on shares of KLA in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Citigroup raised their price target on KLA from $1,450.00 to $1,800.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on KLA from $1,595.00 to $1,700.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Twenty equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,683.39.

KLA Price Performance

Shares of KLAC traded down $88.45 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $1,727.76. 678,466 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,062,083. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 2.83 and a quick ratio of 2.00. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $1,580.75 and a 200-day moving average of $1,388.79. The firm has a market cap of $226.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.30, a PEG ratio of 3.58 and a beta of 1.44. KLA has a one year low of $674.76 and a one year high of $1,939.36.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The semiconductor company reported $9.40 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.16 by $0.24. The company had revenue of $3.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.37 billion. KLA had a net margin of 35.76% and a return on equity of 98.18%. KLA’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $8.41 earnings per share. KLA has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 8.870-10.870 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that KLA will post 36.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

KLA Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th were issued a dividend of $1.90 per share. This represents a $7.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 17th. KLA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.11%.

KLA announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Thursday, March 12th that authorizes the company to buyback $7.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the semiconductor company to purchase up to 3.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Trading of KLA

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Basepoint Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in KLA during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Arlington Trust Co LLC grew its holdings in KLA by 125.0% in the third quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC now owns 36 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in KLA in the third quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in KLA in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. acquired a new stake in KLA in the third quarter valued at approximately $43,000. 86.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

KLA News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting KLA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: KLA beat Q3 estimates: non‑GAAP EPS $9.40 vs. $9.16 expected and revenue $3.415B above consensus; management also provided slide-deck/earnings materials. Strong results underpin the rally. Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Company signaled continued AI-driven demand and guided quarterly revenue above some estimates, reinforcing the growth narrative for process-control tools exposed to AI chip ramps. Reuters: AI-linked demand
• Positive Sentiment: Board increased quarterly dividend to $2.30 and approved an additional $7B for share repurchases — a meaningful capital-return program that supports EPS and shareholder value. Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple analyst upgrades/target increases (Wells Fargo to $2,100 overweight; Needham to $2,000 buy) boost bullish expectations and headline support for the stock. Benzinga: analyst moves The Fly: Needham
• Neutral Sentiment: New Street raised its price target to $1,770 but kept a neutral rating — a modest vote of confidence that still reflects valuation caution. MarketScreener
• Neutral Sentiment: Long-form bullish notes (Seeking Alpha) reiterate KLA’s dominant market position and multi‑year growth thesis tied to AI, but they are opinion pieces rather than new company disclosures. Seeking Alpha
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry peer news (Onto Innovation) signals broad AI-driven demand across equipment suppliers; this is an industry tailwind but not a direct company-specific catalyst. Zacks: Onto Innovation
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the beat, some coverage highlights that the stock slid after the print — investors may be digesting valuation (KLAC trades at a high P/E), guidance ranges versus street expectations, or simply engaging in profit-taking after a strong run. Benzinga: stock slides
• Negative Sentiment: Additional press noted share weakness alongside peers (coverage includes The Globe and Mail), underscoring short-term selling pressure across semiconductor-equipment names. Globe and Mail

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.