Needham & Company LLC Issues Positive Forecast for KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) Stock Price

Key Points

• Needham & Company LLC has raised its price target for KLA Corporation's stock from $1,000 to $1,100, indicating a potential upside of 8.54% from the current price and maintaining a "buy" rating.
• KLA's recent earnings report showed an EPS of $9.38, exceeding analysts' expectations, with revenue up 23.6% year-over-year to $3.17 billion.
• Insider selling activity has been noted, with CEO Richard P. Wallace and another insider selling over $21 million worth of shares recently.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) had its price objective increased by equities research analysts at Needham & Company LLC from $1,000.00 to $1,100.00 in a note issued to investors on Monday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage presently has a "buy" rating on the semiconductor company's stock. Needham & Company LLC's target price suggests a potential upside of 8.54% from the company's current price.

KLAC has been the topic of several other reports. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of KLA from $800.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on KLA from $920.00 to $1,115.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on KLA from $900.00 to $1,070.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Rothschild & Co Redburn increased their price target on KLA from $800.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of KLA from $922.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,009.40.

KLA Stock Up 3.1%

KLAC opened at $1,013.41 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $133.45 billion, a PE ratio of 33.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 1.50. The business has a 50-day moving average of $966.13 and a 200-day moving average of $853.74. KLA has a fifty-two week low of $551.33 and a fifty-two week high of $1,155.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 2.62 and a quick ratio of 1.83.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The semiconductor company reported $9.38 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $8.53 by $0.85. The firm had revenue of $3.17 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.08 billion. KLA had a return on equity of 112.41% and a net margin of 33.41%.The firm's revenue was up 23.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $6.60 earnings per share. KLA has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 7.760-9.300 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that KLA will post 31.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Ahmad A. Khan sold 13,716 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $881.50, for a total transaction of $12,090,654.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 27,372 shares in the company, valued at $24,128,418. The trade was a 33.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 10,801 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $913.68, for a total value of $9,868,657.68. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 92,818 shares of the company's stock, valued at $84,805,950.24. This represents a 10.42% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 32,566 shares of company stock valued at $29,313,522 over the last three months. 91.48% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On KLA

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. 3Chopt Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of KLA in the 1st quarter valued at $402,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in KLA by 40.1% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,463 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $1,674,000 after buying an additional 705 shares in the last quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. bought a new stake in KLA during the first quarter worth about $1,479,000. Strs Ohio bought a new stake in KLA during the first quarter worth about $26,473,000. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of KLA by 37.7% in the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 41,784 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $28,400,000 after acquiring an additional 11,442 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.65% of the company's stock.

About KLA

KLA Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, manufacture, and marketing of process control, process-enabling, and yield management solutions for the semiconductor and related electronics industries worldwide. It operates through three segments: Semiconductor Process Control; Specialty Semiconductor Process; and PCB and Component Inspection.

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