Asset Management One Co. Ltd. Sells 33,479 Shares of KLA Corporation $KLAC

Key Points

• Asset Management One reduced its KLA stake by 4.8%, selling 33,479 shares and retaining 664,700 shares valued at approximately $129.6 million. Institutional investors collectively own 86.65% of KLA.
• KLA exceeded quarterly expectations with $1.05 in EPS versus the $1.00 consensus and $3.66 billion in revenue, up 15.2% year over year. AI-related chip demand, semiconductor-fabrication investment and rising manufacturing complexity are highlighted as potential growth drivers.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and a $221.26 price target, although technology-sector rotation and valuation remain near-term risks. Insiders have also sold approximately $46.9 million worth of shares over the past 90 days.

Asset Management One Co. Ltd. decreased its holdings in shares of KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) by 4.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 664,700 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after selling 33,479 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. owned about 0.05% of KLA worth $129,570,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Balance Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in KLA in the 3rd quarter worth about $61,000. SYM FINANCIAL Corp raised its holdings in shares of KLA by 4.2% during the third quarter. SYM FINANCIAL Corp now owns 6,871 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $1,339,000 after acquiring an additional 279 shares during the last quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. raised its holdings in shares of KLA by 4.8% during the third quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 75,571 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $14,731,000 after acquiring an additional 3,495 shares during the last quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. purchased a new position in shares of KLA in the third quarter valued at approximately $296,000. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its position in shares of KLA by 7.1% in the third quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 86,380 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $16,838,000 after acquiring an additional 5,713 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.65% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting KLA

Here are the key news stories impacting KLA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong results and guidance support the stock. KLA’s quarterly performance exceeded analyst expectations, with earnings and revenue above consensus and revenue growth from the prior year. Analysts’ commentary indicates that the company’s outlook remains supported by semiconductor-fabrication investment and demand for process-control equipment. Market Rotation Overshadows KLA Corp’s Solid Results and Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: AI and data-center expansion remain important growth drivers. KLA’s earnings are being viewed alongside Equinix and Vertiv as indicators of whether AI-related data-center construction will continue accelerating into 2027. Strong demand across the semiconductor and data-center supply chain could benefit KLA’s inspection and metrology business. What Equinix, KLA, and Vertiv Earnings Could Signal About Data Center Demand
• Positive Sentiment: Rising semiconductor complexity is viewed as a potential new growth cycle. Analysts and investment commentary highlight KLA’s leadership in process control, advanced packaging exposure and benefits from AI-driven chip demand. One comparison with Applied Materials and Lam Research characterizes KLA as well positioned as manufacturers require more inspection and measurement throughout production. KLA Corporation Versus AMAT and LRCX
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst views remain generally constructive but valuation and sector conditions matter. Recent coverage compares KLA favorably with other semiconductor stocks and notes that earnings-estimate revisions and oversold technical conditions could support a rebound after the recent decline. However, the articles also emphasize that market rotation has limited the response to KLA’s fundamentally positive update. Analysts Offer Insights on KLA, Cisco Systems and Hewlett Packard Enterprise
• Negative Sentiment: Technology-sector rotation is the main near-term headwind. Despite KLA’s solid results and outlook, investors have rotated away from technology shares, overshadowing the company-specific positives and potentially increasing volatility. Market Rotation Overshadows KLA Corp’s Solid Results and Guidance

KLA Trading Up 3.0%

KLA stock opened at $153.66 on Wednesday. KLA Corporation has a 12-month low of $107.20 and a 12-month high of $307.37. The stock has a market cap of $200.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.90 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $180.29 and a 200 day moving average price of $181.43.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The semiconductor company reported $1.05 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.00 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $3.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.61 billion. KLA's revenue for the quarter was up 15.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.94 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that KLA Corporation will post 5.43 EPS for the current year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 17th were issued a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 17th. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is an increase from KLA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. KLA's payout ratio is 25.07%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley set a $227.00 price target on KLA and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. Susquehanna set a $215.00 price objective on KLA and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $245.00 price objective on KLA and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Barclays reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $225.00 target price on shares of KLA in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $225.00 target price on shares of KLA in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Nineteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $221.26.

Insider Activity

In other KLA news, CAO Virendra Kirloskar sold 4,504 shares of KLA stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.50, for a total value of $880,532.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 7,972 shares in the company, valued at $1,558,526. The trade was a 36.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Brian Lorig sold 59,586 shares of KLA stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.13, for a total value of $12,401,634.18. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 77,681 shares in the company, valued at $16,167,746.53. This represents a 43.41% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 243,339 shares of company stock worth $46,903,454 in the last 90 days. 79.39% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.

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