KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) Stock Price Target Lowered at Wells Fargo & Company

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) had its price objective reduced by equities research analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $245.00 to $210.00 in a report issued on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the semiconductor company’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price target indicates a potential upside of 23.57% from the stock’s current price.

KLAC has been the subject of a number of other research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $230.00 price objective on shares of KLA in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $210.00 price target (up from $200.00) on shares of KLA in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of KLA in a research report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings raised shares of KLA from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, October 16th. Finally, Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $225.00 price target on shares of KLA in a report on Monday, July 20th. Nineteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $211.81.

KLA Trading Up 7.0%

Shares of KLA stock traded up $11.17 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $169.94. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,628,042 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,101,494. The company has a market capitalization of $221.78 billion, a PE ratio of 46.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.45. KLA has a 12 month low of $107.20 and a 12 month 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 50 day moving average of $179.57 and a 200 day moving average of $181.57.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The semiconductor company reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.18 by $0.04. KLA had a return on equity of 87.66% and a net margin of 35.57%. The business had revenue of $4.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $8.47 EPS. KLA’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that KLA will post 5.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other KLA news, EVP MaryBeth Wilkinson sold 13,802 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.50, for a total value of $2,698,291.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 22,110 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,322,505. This trade represents a 38.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Richard P. 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 transaction of $12,378,625.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 706,925 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $121,506,269. The trade was a 9.25% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 243,339 shares of company stock valued at $46,903,454. 79.39% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of KLA by 928.9% in 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 buying an additional 13,381,153 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in KLA in the 2nd quarter worth $2,522,430,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its holdings in KLA by 239.3% during the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 5,614,990 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,094,530,000 after acquiring an additional 3,959,927 shares during the period. National Pension Service raised its holdings in KLA by 899.4% during 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 last quarter. Finally, PineStone Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of KLA by 11.5% in the third quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,418,400 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $471,419,000 after purchasing an additional 248,700 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

KLA News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting KLA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: KLA reported fiscal Q1 revenue of $4.14 billion, above the approximately $4.04 billion consensus estimate, while non-GAAP EPS of $1.22 exceeded expectations of $1.18. Revenue increased 28.9% year over year, marking the company’s 10th consecutive quarter of growth. KLA Corporation Reports Fiscal 2027 First Quarter Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management’s fiscal Q2 outlook was stronger than expected, calling for revenue of $4.5 billion to $4.9 billion, or roughly $4.7 billion at the midpoint. The guidance suggests continued demand for KLA’s semiconductor inspection and metrology equipment. KLA forecasts December-quarter revenue and wafer equipment market growth
• Positive Sentiment: KLA also reported strong cash generation, with $1.53 billion in quarterly operating cash flow and $1.34 billion in free cash flow. Capital returns totaled $1.24 billion, supporting the investment case for shareholders. KLA Shares Climb on Q1 Double Beat, Strong Guidance
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry sentiment remains favorable after SK Hynix indicated that the memory shortage could persist into 2030, implying years of additional fabrication-capacity investment and demand for chipmaking equipment. Chip Equipment Stocks Rally on Memory Shortage Outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst reactions were mixed. UBS maintained a Hold rating and cut its target from $190 to $180, citing structural share headwinds, while Cantor Fitzgerald reduced its target from $325 to $225 despite keeping an Overweight rating. These reductions may reflect valuation concerns and uncertainty around AI-related spending. UBS trims KLA price target

KLA Company Profile

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.