KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) CAO Sells 1,565 Shares of Stock

KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) CAO Virendra Kirloskar sold 1,565 shares of KLA stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.59, for a total transaction of $299,838.35. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 12,476 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,390,276.84. This represents a 11.15% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards.

KLA Trading Up 6.9%

KLAC traded up $12.70 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $195.45. 13,235,688 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 11,682,409. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 2.03 and a current ratio of 2.88. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $223.67 and a 200 day simple moving average of $182.05. The firm has a market cap of $255.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.30, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.45. KLA Corporation has a 1 year low of $83.22 and a 1 year high of $307.37.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The semiconductor company reported $1.05 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.05. KLA had a return on equity of 87.66% and a net margin of 35.57%.The business had revenue of $3.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.61 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.94 EPS. The business’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. As a group, equities analysts expect that KLA Corporation will post 5.42 EPS for the current year.

KLA Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 18th were issued a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 18th. KLA’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.07%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Scotiabank set a $200.00 price objective on shares of KLA in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $253.00 target price on shares of KLA in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their price target on KLA from $140.00 to $186.50 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $225.00 price target on shares of KLA in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Barclays restated an “overweight” rating and set a $225.00 price objective on shares of KLA in a research note on Monday, July 20th. One 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 MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $223.70.

Institutional Trading of KLA

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in KLAC. Monetary Management Group Inc. boosted its holdings in KLA by 0.4% in the second quarter. Monetary Management Group Inc. now owns 3,773 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $3,380,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Tandem Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of KLA by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. Tandem Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,043 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $934,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new stake in KLA in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $90,000. Captrust Financial Advisors grew its position in 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 purchasing an additional 619 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Seven Mile Advisory acquired a new position in KLA during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $444,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about KLA

Here are the key news stories impacting KLA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Semiconductor exchange-traded funds staged a sharp rebound as investors rotated back into the AI trade. The sector-wide move may be lifting demand expectations for KLA’s wafer-inspection and process-control equipment. Semiconductor ETFs Surge up to 19% in Huge Rally as the AI Trade Ramps Back Up
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity showed investors purchasing 13,127 KLA call contracts, about 48% above typical daily volume. The activity suggests some traders are positioning for a rebound, though options flows are not a guarantee of future performance.
• Positive Sentiment: One Wall Street view argues that KLA’s structural exposure to AI-related chip manufacturing could produce substantial long-term upside after the stock’s recent selloff. Analysts cited in the report generally maintain targets above the recent trading range. KLA Corporation Cratered 40% Over The Last 30 Days
• Neutral Sentiment: KLA’s latest quarterly results exceeded expectations, with revenue up 15.2% year over year and earnings above consensus. However, the company’s valuation remains elevated, with a reported price-to-earnings ratio above 50, increasing sensitivity to any slowdown in semiconductor spending.
• Negative Sentiment: Chief Accounting Officer Virendra Kirloskar and EVP Mary Beth Wilkinson sold shares worth approximately $300,000 and $823,000, respectively. Both transactions covered tax withholding tied to equity vesting, which makes them less concerning than discretionary sales, but they still add to a broader pattern of insider selling.
• Negative Sentiment: Recent coverage highlights that KLA has fallen sharply from its highs amid concerns about China exposure and whether AI-related chip spending can remain strong. Institutional ownership data also showed several large investors reducing their positions, reinforcing the cautious sentiment. Bearish Pressure Is Building Around These 3 Stocks

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.