KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) CEO Richard Wallace Sells 4,512 Shares

KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) CEO Richard Wallace sold 4,512 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2,213.37, for a total value of $9,986,725.44. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 71,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $157,996,990.71. This trade represents a 5.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

KLA Trading Up 12.9%

NASDAQ KLAC traded up $276.00 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $2,411.64. 1,765,670 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,083,658. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,824.45 and a 200 day simple moving average of $1,538.03. KLA Corporation has a 1-year low of $832.24 and a 1-year high of $2,431.29. The firm has a market cap of $315.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 68.26, a PEG ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 1.50. The company has a current ratio of 3.03, a quick ratio of 2.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01.

KLA’s stock is scheduled to split before the market opens on Friday, June 12th. The 10-1 split was announced on Thursday, May 7th. The newly issued shares will be issued to shareholders after the market closes on Thursday, June 11th.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The semiconductor company reported $9.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.17 by $0.23. KLA had a net margin of 35.66% and a return on equity of 91.89%. The business had revenue of $3.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.37 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $8.41 EPS. KLA’s revenue was up 11.5% compared to the same quarter last year. KLA has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 8.870-10.870 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that KLA Corporation will post 37.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, May 18th were given a dividend of $2.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 18th. This is a positive change from KLA’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.90. This represents a $9.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. KLA’s payout ratio is presently 26.04%.

KLA announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Thursday, March 12th that allows the company to buyback $7.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the semiconductor company to repurchase up to 3.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. KeyCorp reiterated a “sector weight” rating on shares of KLA in a report on Friday, March 13th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $2,500.00 target price (up from $2,000.00) on shares of KLA in a research note on Wednesday. Scotiabank set a $2,000.00 target price on KLA in a research note on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on KLA from $1,505.00 to $1,550.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on KLA from $1,700.00 to $1,910.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Twenty equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,897.64.

Key Headlines Impacting KLA

Here are the key news stories impacting KLA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays reiterated an Overweight rating on KLA and other chip-equipment names, citing strong investment in new chip supply and rising demand for wafer fabrication tools. Applied Materials and KLA Are Surging. Why You Should Buy the Stocks, Says This Analyst.
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple firms have recently raised price targets on KLAC, including Barclays, Cantor Fitzgerald, and UBS, reinforcing a constructive outlook for the stock. Applied Materials, KLA stocks gain as AI boom lifts chip equipment outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts say AI-related capital spending continues to support long-term demand for semiconductor manufacturing equipment, which benefits KLA’s process-control and inspection businesses. AMAT, KLA, LRCX: Why Chip Gear Stocks Are Up despite the Pressure on AI Trade — June 10, 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: KLA has also benefited from headlines ahead of its June 12 stock split, which has helped keep investor attention elevated. Dear KLA Stock Fans, Mark Your Calendars for June 12
• Negative Sentiment: President and CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 4,512 shares, and CFO Bred D. Higgins also sold shares recently, which may temper enthusiasm despite the broader bullish setup. Insider Sale: President and CEO of $KLAC Sells 4,512 Shares

Hedge Funds Weigh In On KLA

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Close Asset Management Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of KLA in the 3rd quarter valued at about $133,209,000. PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab bought a new stake in shares of KLA during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $119,618,000. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd raised its position in shares of KLA by 151.2% during the first quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 116,292 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $171,230,000 after purchasing an additional 70,000 shares during the period. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. lifted its holdings in shares of KLA by 69.1% in the 3rd quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 87,547 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $94,422,000 after purchasing an additional 35,770 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pinebridge Investments LLC acquired a new stake in KLA in the 4th quarter valued at $32,812,000. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.