KLA Corporation $KLAC Stake Trimmed by Inscription Capital LLC

Inscription Capital LLC decreased its holdings in shares of KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 37.5% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 7,915 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 4,743 shares during the period. Inscription Capital LLC’s holdings in KLA were worth $1,543,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Formuepleje A S boosted its stake in shares of KLA by 1,125.5% during the 2nd quarter. Formuepleje A S now owns 30,062 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $9,070,000 after purchasing an additional 27,609 shares during the period. TOWER TRUST & INVESTMENT Co raised its holdings in shares of KLA by 829.7% in the second quarter. TOWER TRUST & INVESTMENT Co now owns 7,456 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $2,249,000 after buying an additional 6,654 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd grew its position in KLA by 7.7% in the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 275,745 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $53,751,000 after acquiring an additional 19,700 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. grew its holdings in shares of KLA by 1,195.3% in the second quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 14,948 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $4,510,000 after purchasing an additional 13,794 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Colton Groome Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in KLA by 40.1% in the 3rd quarter. Colton Groome Financial Advisors LLC now owns 28,728 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $5,600,000 after buying an additional 8,225 shares during the period. 86.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key KLA News

Here are the key news stories impacting KLA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: KLA’s reported results showed strong growth: revenue rose 29% year over year, margins expanded, and the company beat analyst expectations. Management’s outlook points to further growth, with second-quarter revenue projected to increase 43% year over year and EPS to rise more than 60%, supported by AI-related demand. Article: KLA: Unfairly Caught Up In The Tech Carnage
• Positive Sentiment: KLA sees AI demand, advanced packaging and memory driving semiconductor-equipment market growth, with the market expected to exceed $200 billion in 2027. This outlook supports the case for continued demand for its equipment. Article: KLAC Q1 Earnings Call Highlights AI Demand and 2027 Growth Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: The board declared a quarterly dividend of $0.23 per share, payable Dec. 1 to shareholders of record Nov. 16. The payout adds to shareholder returns. Article: KLA Declares Regular Cash Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: ETFs reportedly bought $52.3 million of KLAC shares on Nov. 3, indicating fund demand, though this does not necessarily predict future performance. Article: ETFs Bought $52.3 Million of Kla-Tencor (KLAC) on Nov. 3
• Neutral Sentiment: One market commentary argues KLA has been caught up in a broader tech selloff despite its strong outlook, suggesting recent weakness may reflect sector sentiment more than deterioration in company fundamentals. Article: KLA: Unfairly Caught Up In The Tech Carnage
• Negative Sentiment: Put-option trading rose sharply on Nov. 4, with 47,908 puts traded—167% above the average daily volume. The increase may indicate heightened hedging or bearish speculation, although options activity alone does not establish the direction of future trading.

KLA Stock Down 13.3%

KLAC stock opened at $129.80 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $169.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.45, a PEG ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 1.49. The company has a current ratio of 2.76, a quick ratio of 1.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88. KLA Corporation has a twelve month low of $107.20 and a twelve month high of $307.37. The company’s 50 day moving average is $175.74 and its two-hundred day moving average is $181.73.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The semiconductor company reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.18 by $0.04. KLA had a net margin of 36.25% and a return on equity of 89.30%. The firm had revenue of $4.14 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.04 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $8.47 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 28.9% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that KLA Corporation will post 5.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $230.00 price target on shares of KLA in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $200.00 target price (down from $270.00) on shares of KLA in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on KLA from $238.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. Argus reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $225.00 price objective on shares of KLA in a research report on Friday, October 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $220.00 price objective on shares of KLA in a report on Thursday, October 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, KLA presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $220.35.

Insider Activity at KLA

In other KLA news, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 87,568 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.95, for a total value of $17,421,653.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 778,944 shares in the company, valued at approximately $154,970,908.80. This represents a 10.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Brian Lorig sold 59,586 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $208.13, for a total value of $12,401,634.18. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 77,681 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,167,746.53. The trade was a 43.41% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 219,173 shares of company stock worth $42,201,914 in the last quarter. 79.39% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

KLA Profile

KLA Corporation (NASDAQ: KLAC) develops process control, inspection and yield management solutions for the semiconductor and other advanced manufacturing industries. Its technologies help manufacturers identify defects, measure critical dimensions and monitor production processes to improve quality, reliability and manufacturing efficiency.

The company’s product portfolio includes wafer and reticle inspection systems, metrology and measurement tools, defect review and classification systems, and software for analyzing manufacturing data.