The Goldman Sachs Group Issues Positive Forecast for KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) Stock Price

Key Points

• The Goldman Sachs Group raised its price target for KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) stock from $980 to $1,120, indicating a potential upside of 6.28% from the current price, while maintaining a "neutral" rating.
• Other analysts, including Wells Fargo and Raymond James, have similarly adjusted their target prices for KLA, with consensus now at $973.16 and a majority rating of "Hold."
• KLA reported impressive quarterly earnings with $9.38 EPS, surpassing estimates, and showed a year-over-year revenue growth of 23.6%, amounting to $3.17 billion for the quarter.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) had its price target hoisted by equities research analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group from $980.00 to $1,120.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage currently has a "neutral" rating on the semiconductor company's stock. The Goldman Sachs Group's price objective points to a potential upside of 6.28% from the stock's current price.

Several other analysts have also issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on KLA from $920.00 to $1,115.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 2nd. Raymond James Financial restated an "outperform" rating and set a $950.00 target price (up previously from $850.00) on shares of KLA in a report on Friday, August 1st. TD Cowen increased their price objective on KLA from $800.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Wall Street Zen downgraded KLA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, July 5th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn increased their price objective on KLA from $800.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $973.16.

KLA Stock Performance

KLA stock traded down $8.79 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $1,053.80. The stock had a trading volume of 83,325 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,110,724. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $958.53 and its 200 day moving average price is $845.19. KLA has a 12 month low of $551.33 and a 12 month high of $1,155.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $138.77 billion, a PE ratio of 34.77, a P/E/G ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 1.50. The company has a quick ratio of 1.83, a current ratio of 2.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25.

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

Insider Activity at KLA

In related news, EVP Brian Lorig sold 8,049 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $913.68, for a total transaction of $7,354,210.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 11,479 shares in the company, valued at $10,488,132.72. The trade was a 41.22% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Ahmad A. Khan sold 13,716 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $881.50, for a total value of $12,090,654.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 27,372 shares in the company, valued at $24,128,418. This represents a 33.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 32,566 shares of company stock worth $29,313,522 in the last quarter. 91.48% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On KLA

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Co. grew its stake in shares of KLA by 1.2% in the third quarter. Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Co. now owns 836 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $902,000 after buying an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in KLA by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,224 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $1,096,000 after acquiring an additional 13 shares during the period. MAI Capital Management increased its position in KLA by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 1,365 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $928,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the period. Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co grew its holdings in shares of KLA by 1.2% in the 1st quarter. Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co now owns 1,212 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $824,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares during the period. Finally, IFC Advisors LLC lifted its stake in KLA by 4.6% in the 1st quarter. IFC Advisors LLC now owns 342 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $232,000 after buying an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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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