Bank of America Increases KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) Price Target to $1,300.00

Key Points

• Bank of America has raised the price target for KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) from $1,000 to $1,300, indicating a potential upside of 28.28% from the company's previous close.
• The semiconductor company reported an EPS of $9.38 for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations and showing a 23.6% increase in revenue compared to the previous year.
• Insider trading activity has been notable, with executives selling significant shares and decreasing their ownership by percentages of 41.22% and 33.38% respectively.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) had its target price upped by Bank of America from $1,000.00 to $1,300.00 in a report issued on Monday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage presently has a "buy" rating on the semiconductor company's stock. Bank of America's price target suggests a potential upside of 28.28% from the company's previous close.

A number of other research analysts also recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of KLA from $980.00 to $1,120.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Morgan Stanley set a $1,093.00 target price on KLA and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, September 22nd. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of KLA in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of KLA from $775.00 to $960.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on shares of KLA from $1,035.00 to $1,060.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,009.40.

KLA Price Performance

Shares of KLA stock opened at $1,013.41 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $133.45 billion, a PE ratio of 33.00, a PEG ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 1.50. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $966.13 and a 200 day moving average of $853.74. The company has a current ratio of 2.62, a quick ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. KLA has a 12 month low of $551.33 and a 12 month high of $1,155.00.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The semiconductor company reported $9.38 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $8.53 by $0.85. KLA had a return on equity of 112.41% and a net margin of 33.41%.The firm had revenue of $3.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.08 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $6.60 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 23.6% compared to the same quarter last year. KLA has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 7.760-9.300 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that KLA will post 31.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Brian Lorig sold 8,049 shares of KLA stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $913.68, for a total transaction of $7,354,210.32. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 11,479 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,488,132.72. The trade was a 41.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Ahmad A. Khan sold 13,716 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $881.50, for a total value of $12,090,654.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 27,372 shares in the company, valued at $24,128,418. This represents a 33.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 32,566 shares of company stock valued at $29,313,522. Insiders own 91.48% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On KLA

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Co. lifted its holdings in shares of KLA by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Co. now owns 836 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $902,000 after buying an additional 10 shares during the period. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in KLA by 1.1% in the second quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,224 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $1,096,000 after acquiring an additional 13 shares during the period. MAI Capital Management boosted its position in KLA by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 1,365 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $928,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co grew its stake in shares of KLA by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co now owns 1,212 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $824,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the period. Finally, IFC Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of KLA by 4.6% during the 1st quarter. IFC Advisors LLC now owns 342 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $232,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. 86.65% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

KLA Company Profile

KLA Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, manufacture, and marketing of process control, process-enabling, and yield management solutions for the semiconductor and related electronics industries worldwide. It operates through three segments: Semiconductor Process Control; Specialty Semiconductor Process; and PCB and Component Inspection.

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