KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) Downgraded by Zacks Research to Hold

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) was downgraded by investment analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday, Zacks reports.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on KLAC. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of KLA in a research report on Wednesday, June 17th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $325.00 price target on shares of KLA in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Scotiabank set a $200.00 price objective on KLA in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. UBS Group reduced their target price on KLA from $215.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, September 1st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $180.00 target price (up from $170.00) on shares of KLA in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Nineteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, KLA currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $222.22.

KLA Stock Performance

KLA stock opened at $196.53 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.03, a current ratio of 2.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. The company has a market capitalization of $256.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.59, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.45. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $187.56 and its 200 day moving average is $193.00. KLA has a twelve month low of $98.10 and a twelve month high of $307.37.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The semiconductor company reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.94 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue 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 research analysts predict that KLA will post 5.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at KLA

In other KLA news, CAO Virendra A. Kirloskar sold 4,504 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 transaction of $880,532.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 7,972 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,558,526. The trade was a 36.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Richard Wallace sold 72,019 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.88, for a total value of $12,378,625.72. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 706,925 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $121,506,269. The trade was a 9.25% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 271,040 shares of company stock valued at $54,263,333 in the last ninety days. 79.39% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On KLA

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KLAC. Formuepleje A S raised its position 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 valued at $9,070,000 after purchasing an additional 27,609 shares during the period. TOWER TRUST & INVESTMENT Co boosted its holdings in KLA by 829.7% in the 2nd 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. Abacus FCF Advisors LLC bought a new position in KLA in the 2nd quarter worth $20,763,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in KLA in the 2nd quarter worth $2,522,430,000. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its stake in KLA by 978.2% in the 2nd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 858,984 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $259,164,000 after buying an additional 779,317 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

KLA Company Profile

KLA Corporation (NASDAQ: KLAC) develops process-control and yield-management solutions used by semiconductor and electronics manufacturers. Its systems help customers detect defects, measure and analyze materials and structures, and monitor manufacturing processes throughout the production of integrated circuits and other advanced electronic components.

The company’s product portfolio includes inspection and metrology systems, wafer and reticle inspection equipment, process-control software, data analytics tools, and related services.