KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) Stock Has Average Price Target of $221.26 According to Brokerages

KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-nine ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $221.26.

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $325.00 price target on shares of KLA in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $210.00 price objective (up from $200.00) on shares of KLA in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $245.00 target price on shares of KLA and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $250.00 target price on shares of KLA and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $227.00 target price on shares of KLA and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 6th.

KLA Stock Down 2.8%

KLAC stock opened at $190.12 on Friday. KLA has a fifty-two week low of $99.86 and a fifty-two week high of $307.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 2.88 and a quick ratio of 2.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $248.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.85, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.45. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $188.19 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $196.20.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last announced its earnings results 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 net margin of 35.57% and a return on equity of 87.66%. The company 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 posted $0.94 earnings per share. KLA’s quarterly revenue was up 15.2% on a year-over-year basis. KLA has set its Q1 2027 guidance at 1.060-1.260 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that KLA will post 5.43 earnings per share for the current year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 17th were paid a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. This is an increase from KLA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 17th. KLA’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.07%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Richard Wallace sold 72,019 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.88, for a total transaction of $12,378,625.72. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 706,925 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $121,506,269. This represents a 9.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Brian Lorig sold 59,586 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 77,681 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,167,746.53. This trade represents a 43.41% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders sold 243,339 shares of company stock worth $46,903,454. 79.39% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of KLA

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of KLAC. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in KLA by 928.9% during the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 14,821,622 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $4,471,832,000 after purchasing an additional 13,381,153 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in KLA during the second quarter worth about $2,522,430,000. National Pension Service increased its holdings in KLA by 899.4% in the 2nd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 3,634,859 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,096,673,000 after buying an additional 3,271,158 shares during the period. NEOS Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in KLA by 987.0% in the 2nd quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC now owns 979,371 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $295,486,000 after buying an additional 889,269 shares during the period. Finally, Railway Pension Investments Ltd increased its holdings in KLA by 960.4% in the 2nd quarter. Railway Pension Investments Ltd now owns 926,652 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $279,580,000 after buying an additional 839,265 shares during the period. 86.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About KLA

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.