International Assets Investment Management LLC Buys 396,261 Shares of KLA Corporation $KLAC

Key Points

• International Assets Investment Management increased its KLA stake by 396,261 shares, or 10,598%, to 400,000 shares worth approximately $78 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.65% of KLA.
• KLA exceeded fiscal Q1 expectations with $4.14 billion in revenue and $1.22 EPS, while revenue rose 28.9% year over year. Its fiscal Q2 guidance also topped consensus, supported by strong AI-related demand for semiconductor inspection and process-control equipment.
• Despite the strong outlook and a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating, KLA shares have faced pressure, trading below their 50-day and 200-day moving averages as some analysts lowered price targets and investors questioned the sustainability of AI infrastructure spending.

International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) by 10,598.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 400,000 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after buying an additional 396,261 shares during the quarter. KLA comprises approximately 0.6% of International Assets Investment Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 28th largest position. International Assets Investment Management LLC's holdings in KLA were worth $77,972,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KLAC. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in shares of KLA by 928.9% during the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 14,821,622 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $4,471,832,000 after acquiring an additional 13,381,153 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in shares of KLA during the second quarter worth about $2,522,430,000. National Pension Service increased its holdings in shares of KLA by 899.4% in the 2nd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 3,634,859 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $1,096,673,000 after acquiring an additional 3,271,158 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in KLA by 239.3% in 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 purchasing an additional 3,959,927 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PineStone Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in KLA by 11.5% in the 3rd quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,418,400 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $471,419,000 after purchasing an additional 248,700 shares during the last quarter. 86.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

KLA News Roundup

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

KLA Stock Down 5.7%

KLAC stock opened at $157.91 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $206.07 billion, a PE ratio of 39.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.45. KLA Corporation 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 0.88, a current ratio of 2.76 and a quick ratio of 2.03. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $178.62 and a 200 day simple moving average of $181.78.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The semiconductor company reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.18 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $4.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.04 billion. KLA had a net margin of 36.25% and a return on equity of 89.30%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 28.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $8.47 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that KLA Corporation will post 5.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced 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. This is a positive change from KLA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend 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 currently 23.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Virendra Kirloskar sold 4,504 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.50, for a total value of $880,532.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 7,972 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,558,526. This represents a 36.10% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, 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 transaction 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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 243,339 shares of company stock worth $46,903,454. 79.39% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $220.00 target price on shares of KLA in a research note on Thursday. Stifel Nicolaus set a $230.00 price objective on KLA and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "hold" rating and issued a $195.00 price objective (down from $220.00) on shares of KLA in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Zacks Research cut KLA from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, September 28th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $225.00 target price on KLA in a research note on Thursday. Nineteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $220.35.

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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