Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt acquired a new stake in KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 257,670 shares of the semiconductor company's stock, valued at approximately $77,608,000. KLA makes up 2.5% of Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt's portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest holding.
Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of KLAC. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new position in shares of KLA during the second quarter valued at about $163,950,000. Philadelphia Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in KLA in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,677,000. Ancora Advisors LLC acquired a new position in KLA during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $248,000. Kirtland Hills Capital Management LLC bought a new position in KLA in the second quarter worth approximately $2,737,000. Finally, Compass Financial Management LLC acquired a new stake in KLA in the second quarter valued at approximately $3,356,000. 86.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $225.00 target price on shares of KLA in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $270.00 price objective on shares of KLA in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Oppenheimer reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $260.00 price objective (up from $200.00) on shares of KLA in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $245.00 price target on KLA and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Scotiabank set a $200.00 target price on KLA in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $223.70.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on KLAC
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other KLA news, EVP Mary Beth Wilkinson sold 13,802 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.50, for a total value 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 87,568 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $198.95, for a total value of $17,421,653.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 778,944 shares in the company, valued at approximately $154,970,908.80. The trade was a 10.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 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 Stock Performance
KLAC stock opened at $175.54 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $213.18 and a 200-day moving average of $187.58. The firm has a market cap of $229.35 billion, a PE ratio of 47.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.45. KLA Corporation has a 12-month low of $83.22 and a 12-month 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.
KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last announced 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. KLA had a return on equity of 87.66% and a net margin of 35.57%.The firm had revenue of $3.66 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.61 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.94 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 15.2% on a year-over-year basis. KLA has set its Q1 2027 guidance at 1.060-1.260 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that KLA Corporation will post 5.42 earnings per share for the current year.
KLA Increases Dividend
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. This is a boost from KLA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 17th. KLA's dividend payout ratio is 25.07%.
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.
KLA Company Profile
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Free Report)
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.
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