KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) CAO Virendra Kirloskar Sells 1,565 Shares

KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) CAO Virendra Kirloskar sold 1,565 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $191.59, for a total transaction of $299,838.35. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 12,476 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,390,276.84. The trade was a 11.15% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards.

KLA Price Performance

NASDAQ:KLAC opened at $195.45 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 2.88 and a quick ratio of 2.03. KLA Corporation has a one year low of $83.22 and a one year high of $307.37. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $223.56 and a 200 day moving average price of $182.42. The stock has a market cap of $255.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.30, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.45.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The semiconductor company reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.61 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.94 EPS. The business’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. Analysts anticipate that KLA Corporation will post 5.42 earnings per share for the current year.

KLA Cuts Dividend

The company 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 $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 18th. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. KLA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.07%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On KLA

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Basepoint Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in KLA in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in KLA during the fourth quarter worth $41,000. Triumph Capital Management bought a new position in shares of KLA during the third quarter valued at $40,000. Nemes Rush Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of KLA by 17.1% during the fourth quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC now owns 48 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 7 shares during the period. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of KLA by 36.4% in the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 60 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $88,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

More KLA News

Here are the key news stories impacting KLA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Semiconductor exchange-traded funds staged a sharp rebound as investors rotated back into the AI trade. The sector-wide move may be lifting demand expectations for KLA’s wafer-inspection and process-control equipment. Semiconductor ETFs Surge up to 19% in Huge Rally as the AI Trade Ramps Back Up
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity showed investors purchasing 13,127 KLA call contracts, about 48% above typical daily volume. The activity suggests some traders are positioning for a rebound, though options flows are not a guarantee of future performance.
• Positive Sentiment: One Wall Street view argues that KLA’s structural exposure to AI-related chip manufacturing could produce substantial long-term upside after the stock’s recent selloff. Analysts cited in the report generally maintain targets above the recent trading range. KLA Corporation Cratered 40% Over The Last 30 Days
• Neutral Sentiment: KLA’s latest quarterly results exceeded expectations, with revenue up 15.2% year over year and earnings above consensus. However, the company’s valuation remains elevated, with a reported price-to-earnings ratio above 50, increasing sensitivity to any slowdown in semiconductor spending.
• Negative Sentiment: Chief Accounting Officer Virendra Kirloskar and EVP Mary Beth Wilkinson sold shares worth approximately $300,000 and $823,000, respectively. Both transactions covered tax withholding tied to equity vesting, which makes them less concerning than discretionary sales, but they still add to a broader pattern of insider selling.
• Negative Sentiment: Recent coverage highlights that KLA has fallen sharply from its highs amid concerns about China exposure and whether AI-related chip spending can remain strong. Institutional ownership data also showed several large investors reducing their positions, reinforcing the cautious sentiment. Bearish Pressure Is Building Around These 3 Stocks

Analyst Ratings Changes

KLAC has been the subject of a number of research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $180.00 price objective (up from $170.00) on shares of KLA in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. UBS Group set a $240.00 price objective on KLA and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Berenberg Bank upped their target price on KLA from $177.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $325.00 target price on shares of KLA in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of KLA from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $223.70.

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.