KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) Issues Q3 2026 Earnings Guidance

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) updated its third quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Friday. The company provided EPS guidance of 8.300-9.860 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 8.960. The company issued revenue guidance of $3.2 billion-$3.5 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $3.3 billion.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on KLAC. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $1,630.00 price target on KLA in a research report on Friday. Argus set a $1,400.00 target price on KLA in a research note on Friday, October 31st. BNP Paribas Exane upped their target price on KLA from $820.00 to $1,200.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Citic Securities raised their price target on shares of KLA from $950.00 to $1,350.00 in a report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of KLA in a research report on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, KLA currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,570.39.

KLA Trading Down 15.2%

Shares of NASDAQ KLAC opened at $1,427.94 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,325.70 and a 200 day simple moving average of $1,126.53. KLA has a 52 week low of $551.33 and a 52 week high of $1,693.35. The stock has a market cap of $187.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.55, a PEG ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.88 and a current ratio of 2.69.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The semiconductor company reported $8.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.75 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $3.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.25 billion. KLA had a net margin of 35.76% and a return on equity of 103.06%. The company’s revenue was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $8.20 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that KLA will post 31.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

KLA Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at KLA

In other KLA news, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 2,254 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 32,154 shares in the company, valued at $39,774,819.54. This trade represents a 6.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 10,803 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,203.10, for a total value of $12,997,089.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 81,211 shares in the company, valued at $97,704,954.10. The trade was a 11.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 91.48% of the company’s stock.

More KLA News

Here are the key news stories impacting KLA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: KLA beat expectations for Q2: revenue of $3.30B and non‑GAAP EPS $8.85, topping consensus and showing year‑over‑year growth. Reuters: KLA Corp beats quarterly results
• Positive Sentiment: Strong cash flow and capital returns: management reported robust operating cash flow and meaningful share repurchases/dividends that support shareholder returns. PR Newswire: KLA fiscal Q2 results
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support remains, with recent price‑target lifts and buy/overweight calls (Needham, Berenberg, RBC), leaving upside per some models. The Fly: RBC raises KLA PT MarketScreener: Berenberg raises PT Benzinga: Needham reaffirmation
• Neutral Sentiment: Management sees advanced‑packaging revenue rising mid‑to‑high teens in 2026, driven by AI demand for process‑control tools — a structural tailwind but timing is variable. Seeking Alpha: Advanced packaging outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Quarter materials, slide deck and call transcript are available for deeper read; they show strength but also careful wording on near‑term demand. Seeking Alpha: Earnings call transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Forward guide disappointed some: Q3 EPS range (8.30–9.86) and revenue range ($3.2B–$3.5B) leave the midpoint roughly in line to slightly below Street EPS expectations and include a wide revenue band — investors sold the stock on guidance uncertainty. Yahoo Finance: Q2 highlights & guidance
• Negative Sentiment: Market worries about the WFE (wafer‑fab equipment) outlook and timing of customer ramps—analysts flagged caution, which pressured the stock despite the beat. Seeking Alpha: WFE outlook concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation concerns: at its elevated multiple, some analysts and investors see limited near‑term upside, tempering reaction to the beat. Benzinga: Valuation offsets strengths
• Negative Sentiment: Unusually large put buying and elevated insider/institutional selling flagged on trading screens — options flow and visible sell pressure likely amplified the intraday decline. Quiver Quant: puts, insider sales and data

Hedge Funds Weigh In On KLA

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Horizon Investments LLC increased its position in KLA by 30.1% in the 3rd quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 10,981 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $11,844,000 after buying an additional 2,540 shares during the period. DF Dent & Co. Inc. bought a new position in KLA during the third quarter worth $832,000. Captrust Financial Advisors raised its stake in KLA by 13.8% during the 2nd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 5,118 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $4,584,000 after purchasing an additional 619 shares during the last quarter. Seven Mile Advisory bought a new stake in KLA in the 3rd quarter valued at $444,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group boosted its holdings in KLA by 17.3% in the 3rd quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 1,658 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,788,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

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.