KLA Corporation $KLAC Stock: Stokes Capital Advisors LLC Grows Position

Key Points

• Stokes Capital Advisors increased its KLA position by 1,177.8% in the third quarter, acquiring 15,606 additional shares for a total holding of 16,931 shares valued at $3.3 million. Institutional investors collectively own 86.65% of KLA.
• KLA exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $1.05 in EPS versus the $1.00 consensus and $3.66 billion in revenue, up 15.2% year over year. The company also issued Q1 fiscal 2027 EPS guidance of $1.06–$1.26.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $221.26, while insiders sold $46.9 million of stock in the last quarter. KLA also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.23, equivalent to a 0.5% yield.

Stokes Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) by 1,177.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,931 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after buying an additional 15,606 shares during the period. Stokes Capital Advisors LLC's holdings in KLA were worth $3,300,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in KLAC. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its position in KLA by 36.4% during the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 60 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $88,000 after buying an additional 16 shares during the period. Allied Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in KLA during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. McIlrath & Eck LLC boosted its position in shares of KLA by 6.8% during the first quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 94 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $139,000 after purchasing an additional 6 shares in the last quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc boosted its holdings in shares of KLA by 2,275.0% during the 2nd quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 95 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Atomic Invest LLC boosted its position in shares of KLA by 781.8% in the 2nd quarter. Atomic Invest LLC now owns 97 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.65% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other KLA news, EVP MaryBeth Wilkinson sold 13,802 shares of KLA stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $195.50, for a total value of $2,698,291.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 22,110 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,322,505. The trade was a 38.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Brian Lorig sold 59,586 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 13th. The stock was 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 directly owned 77,681 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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 243,339 shares of company stock worth $46,903,454 in the last quarter. 79.39% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

KLA Price Performance

KLA stock opened at $195.57 on Friday. KLA Corporation has a 52-week low of $98.10 and a 52-week high of $307.37. The company has a quick ratio of 2.03, a current ratio of 2.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. The firm's fifty day moving average is $188.04 and its 200 day moving average is $195.65. The company has a market cap of $255.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.33, a PEG ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.45.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The semiconductor company reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.00 by $0.05. KLA had a return on equity of 87.66% and a net margin of 35.57%. The company had revenue of $3.66 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.61 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.94 earnings per share. KLA's revenue was up 15.2% on a year-over-year basis. KLA has set its Q1 2027 guidance at 1.060-1.260 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that KLA Corporation will post 5.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 17th were paid a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. This is a boost from KLA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 17th. KLA's payout ratio is presently 25.07%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an "overweight" rating and set a $325.00 price objective on shares of KLA in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Oppenheimer reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $260.00 price objective (up from $200.00) on shares of KLA in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Barclays reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $225.00 price target on shares of KLA in a report on Monday, July 20th. Morgan Stanley set a $227.00 price objective on shares of KLA and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of KLA from $210.00 to $317.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Eighteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $221.26.

About KLA

KLA Corporation NASDAQ: KLAC develops process-control and yield-management solutions used by semiconductor and electronics manufacturers. Its systems help customers detect defects, measure and analyze materials and structures, and monitor manufacturing processes throughout the production of integrated circuits and other advanced electronic components.

The company's product portfolio includes inspection and metrology systems, wafer and reticle inspection equipment, process-control software, data analytics tools, and related services.

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