KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) Issues Q2 2027 Earnings Guidance

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) issued an update on its second quarter 2027 earnings guidance on Friday morning. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 1.330-1.550 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 1.360. The company issued revenue guidance of $4.5 billion-$4.9 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $4.5 billion.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on KLAC shares. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $225.00 price objective on shares of KLA in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Piper Sandler set a $425.00 price objective on shares of KLA in a report on Thursday. BMO Capital Markets set a $133.00 target price on shares of KLA in a research report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of KLA from $245.00 to $210.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Argus reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $225.00 target price on shares of KLA in a research note on Friday. Nineteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, KLA currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $220.35.

KLA Price Performance

KLAC opened at $157.91 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $206.07 billion, a PE ratio of 39.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.45. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $178.62 and a 200-day moving average price of $181.78. KLA has a 1 year low of $107.20 and a 1 year high of $307.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 2.76 and a quick ratio of 2.03.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The semiconductor company reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $8.47 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 28.9% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that KLA will post 5.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 17th were issued a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 17th. This is a positive change from KLA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. KLA’s dividend payout ratio is 23.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Richard Wallace sold 72,019 shares of KLA 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 directly owned 706,925 shares in the company, valued at approximately $121,506,269. This trade represents a 9.25% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, 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 value of $880,532.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 7,972 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,558,526. This trade represents a 36.10% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 243,339 shares of company stock valued at $46,903,454 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 79.39% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about KLA

Here are the key news stories impacting KLA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: KLA reported fiscal Q1 2027 revenue of approximately $4.14 billion and earnings of $1.22 per share, exceeding Wall Street expectations of $4.04 billion and $1.18 per share. Revenue increased 28.9% year over year, marking the company’s 10th consecutive quarter of growth. KLAC Q1 Earnings Beat Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: The company issued fiscal Q2 revenue guidance of $4.5 billion to $4.9 billion, implying roughly $4.7 billion at the midpoint versus consensus of $4.5 billion. EPS guidance of $1.33 to $1.55 also brackets or exceeds the $1.36 consensus estimate, reinforcing expectations for continued AI-driven demand. KLA Q2 Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Demand for wafer inspection, process-control and advanced-packaging equipment is benefiting from the increasing complexity of AI chips and the construction of leading-edge semiconductor fabs. Argus reaffirmed its Buy rating with a $225 price target, while JPMorgan raised its target to $240 and maintained Overweight. Advanced Packaging Demand
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst opinion remains mixed. Several firms lowered price targets after earnings—including Wells Fargo, Needham, Evercore ISI, Cantor Fitzgerald, Susquehanna and UBS—citing valuation, structural share headwinds or a more cautious risk-reward profile, even though many retained positive or neutral ratings.
• Negative Sentiment: KLAC is declining in sympathy with semiconductor shares as investors question whether elevated AI infrastructure spending can continue at its current pace. The pullback also leaves the stock below its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, increasing near-term technical pressure despite the strong operating outlook. KLA Shares Weaken as Semiconductor Stocks Fall

About KLA

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.