KLA Corporation $KLAC Shares Bought by Mufg Securities Americas Inc.

Mufg Securities Americas Inc. raised its stake in KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) by 984.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 39,343 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after purchasing an additional 35,716 shares during the period. KLA accounts for approximately 0.6% of Mufg Securities Americas Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. Mufg Securities Americas Inc.'s holdings in KLA were worth $11,870,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of KLA by 965.6% during the second quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,950 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $588,000 after purchasing an additional 1,767 shares during the last quarter. Braun Stacey Associates Inc. bought a new stake in KLA in the second quarter valued at about $275,000. Navellier & Associates Inc. increased its holdings in KLA by 971.8% in the second quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. now owns 23,290 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $7,027,000 after buying an additional 21,117 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in 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 buying an additional 13,381,153 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Archer Investment Corp bought a new position in KLA during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $151,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.65% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting KLA

Here are the key news stories impacting KLA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: KLA’s AI exposure remains a long-term support. Its process-control tools are viewed as important to improving yields in advanced packaging and increasingly complex semiconductor manufacturing. What KLA's AI-Fueled Advanced Packaging Momentum Means For Shareholders
• Positive Sentiment: Recent quarterly results exceeded expectations: revenue reached $3.66 billion, up 15.2% year over year, while EPS topped consensus. Management’s next-quarter EPS guidance of $1.06–$1.26 also points to continued growth. Analysts cited by Zacks see meaningful potential upside, although price targets are not a guarantee. Wall Street Analysts Think KLA Could Surge
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary remains constructive on KLA’s role as a potential “yield bottleneck” beneficiary of AI chip production and advanced manufacturing investment. KLA: The AI Yield Bottleneck Is Becoming More Valuable
• Neutral Sentiment: There was no clear new company-specific catalyst. The move instead reflects broader weakness across chip-equipment names, including declines in major semiconductor stocks that weighed on the Nasdaq-100 ETF and KLAC.
• Negative Sentiment: Investors may have considered KLA’s strong earnings insufficient relative to elevated expectations; the stock sold off after its late-July report despite beating estimates. Comparisons with faster-growing semiconductor names also weakened its near-term appeal. KLAC vs. SNDK: Which Semiconductor Stock is a Better Buy Now?
• Negative Sentiment: Recent insider activity is a headwind: KLA insiders reported open-market sales but no purchases over the past six months, including sales by senior executives. Investors also remain wary that export restrictions or weaker China demand could pressure sales and services.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KLAC has been the subject of several research reports. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $210.00 target price (up from $200.00) on shares of KLA in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "neutral" rating and set a $230.00 price objective on shares of KLA in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. UBS Group set a $240.00 price objective on shares of KLA and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Susquehanna set a $215.00 target price on shares of KLA and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of KLA from $210.00 to $317.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $223.70.

KLA Stock Down 4.5%

NASDAQ:KLAC opened at $175.54 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $229.35 billion, a PE ratio of 47.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.45. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $213.18 and a 200-day moving average of $187.58. KLA Corporation has a 52 week low of $83.22 and a 52 week high of $307.37. The company has a current ratio of 2.88, a quick ratio of 2.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The semiconductor company reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.00 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $3.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.61 billion. KLA had a return on equity of 87.66% and a net margin of 35.57%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.94 EPS. KLA has set its Q1 2027 guidance at 1.060-1.260 EPS. Analysts predict that KLA Corporation will post 5.42 EPS for the current year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. This is a positive change from KLA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 17th. KLA's dividend payout ratio is presently 25.07%.

Insider Activity at KLA

In other news, EVP Mary Beth Wilkinson sold 14,392 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $285.30, for a total transaction of $4,106,037.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 53,367 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,225,605.10. This represents a 21.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 87,568 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.95, for a total transaction of $17,421,653.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 778,944 shares in the company, valued at approximately $154,970,908.80. This trade represents a 10.11% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 258,533 shares of company stock valued at $55,977,470. Company insiders own 91.48% of the company's stock.

KLA Profile

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding KLAC? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

Continue following MarketBeat

Add MarketBeat as your preferred source on Google to see our latest stories in your feed.

Add As Preferred Source