KLA Corporation $KLAC Shares Purchased by Wedbush Securities Inc.

Wedbush Securities Inc. boosted its stake in shares of KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 894.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 39,608 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after purchasing an additional 35,625 shares during the quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc.’s holdings in KLA were worth $11,950,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. McIlrath & Eck LLC increased its stake in shares of KLA by 6.8% during the first quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 94 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $139,000 after buying an additional 6 shares during the period. Motco lifted its stake in KLA by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Motco now owns 405 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $492,000 after acquiring an additional 7 shares during the last quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC grew its holdings in KLA by 17.1% during the 4th quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC now owns 48 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $58,000 after acquiring an additional 7 shares in the last quarter. SouthState Bank Corp increased its position in shares of KLA by 6.7% in the 4th quarter. SouthState Bank Corp now owns 111 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $135,000 after purchasing an additional 7 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC increased its position in shares of KLA by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 796 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $967,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

KLA Trading Down 4.5%

Shares of KLA stock opened at $175.54 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.88, a quick ratio of 2.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $213.18 and a 200-day simple moving average of $187.58. The stock has a market cap of $229.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.87, a PEG ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.45. KLA Corporation has a 12-month low of $83.22 and a 12-month high of $307.37.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The semiconductor company reported $1.05 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.05. KLA had a net margin of 35.57% and a return on equity of 87.66%. The firm had revenue of $3.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.61 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.94 EPS. KLA’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. KLA has set its Q1 2027 guidance at 1.060-1.260 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that KLA Corporation will post 5.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be given a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. This is an increase from KLA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 17th. KLA’s payout ratio is presently 25.07%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $230.00 price objective on shares of KLA in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Bank of America increased their target price on KLA from $210.00 to $317.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of KLA in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on KLA from $200.00 to $238.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Susquehanna set a $215.00 price objective on KLA and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, KLA presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $223.70.

KLA News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting KLA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: KLA’s AI exposure remains a long-term support. Its process-control tools are viewed as important to improving yields in advanced packaging and increasingly complex semiconductor manufacturing. What KLA’s AI-Fueled Advanced Packaging Momentum Means For Shareholders
• Positive Sentiment: Recent quarterly results exceeded expectations: revenue reached $3.66 billion, up 15.2% year over year, while EPS topped consensus. Management’s next-quarter EPS guidance of $1.06–$1.26 also points to continued growth. Analysts cited by Zacks see meaningful potential upside, although price targets are not a guarantee. Wall Street Analysts Think KLA Could Surge
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary remains constructive on KLA’s role as a potential “yield bottleneck” beneficiary of AI chip production and advanced manufacturing investment. KLA: The AI Yield Bottleneck Is Becoming More Valuable
• Neutral Sentiment: There was no clear new company-specific catalyst. The move instead reflects broader weakness across chip-equipment names, including declines in major semiconductor stocks that weighed on the Nasdaq-100 ETF and KLAC.
• Negative Sentiment: Investors may have considered KLA’s strong earnings insufficient relative to elevated expectations; the stock sold off after its late-July report despite beating estimates. Comparisons with faster-growing semiconductor names also weakened its near-term appeal. KLAC vs. SNDK: Which Semiconductor Stock is a Better Buy Now?
• Negative Sentiment: Recent insider activity is a headwind: KLA insiders reported open-market sales but no purchases over the past six months, including sales by senior executives. Investors also remain wary that export restrictions or weaker China demand could pressure sales and services.

Insider Buying and Selling at KLA

In other news, EVP Mary Beth Wilkinson sold 13,802 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,322,505. The trade was a 38.43% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Virendra A. Kirloskar sold 4,504 shares of the company’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 $880,532.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 7,972 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,558,526. This trade represents a 36.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 258,533 shares of company stock valued at $55,977,470. 91.48% of the stock is owned by insiders.

KLA 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.