KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) Price Target Raised to $240.00

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) had its price objective upped by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $238.00 to $240.00 in a research note released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an overweight rating on the semiconductor company’s stock.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $260.00 target price (up from $200.00) on shares of KLA in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $210.00 price objective (up from $200.00) on shares of KLA in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Piper Sandler set a $425.00 price objective on KLA in a research note on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on KLA from $245.00 to $210.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Truist Financial set a $225.00 target price on KLA in a research note on Thursday. Nineteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $220.35.

KLA Stock Performance

KLAC stock opened at $157.91 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 2.76 and a quick ratio of 2.03. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $178.62 and a 200 day moving average price of $181.78. KLA has a fifty-two week low of $107.20 and a fifty-two week high of $307.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $206.07 billion, a PE ratio of 39.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.45.

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, beating 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 company 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. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.9% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that KLA will post 5.67 EPS for the current year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 17th were given a $0.23 dividend. This is an increase from KLA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. 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. KLA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP MaryBeth Wilkinson sold 13,802 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owned 22,110 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,322,505. This represents a 38.43% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Richard Wallace sold 72,019 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 15th. The shares were 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 directly 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 243,339 shares of company stock worth $46,903,454. 79.39% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of KLA by 11.3% during the third quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 10,377 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,511,000 after purchasing an additional 1,054 shares during the period. Optimist Retirement Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of KLA by 1.9% in the third quarter. Optimist Retirement Group LLC now owns 16,282 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $3,174,000 after buying an additional 297 shares during the period. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of KLA by 10.2% in the third quarter. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. now owns 424,865 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $83,499,000 after buying an additional 39,185 shares during the period. Third View Private Wealth LLC grew its position in KLA by 1.9% during the third quarter. Third View Private Wealth LLC now owns 8,333 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,624,000 after buying an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Provenance Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in KLA during the third quarter worth approximately $732,000. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key KLA News

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.