Wolfe Research Increases KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) Price Target to $1,800.00

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) had its price target raised by research analysts at Wolfe Research from $1,500.00 to $1,800.00 in a note issued to investors on Monday,MarketScreener reports. The firm currently has an “outperform” rating on the semiconductor company’s stock. Wolfe Research’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 11.36% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other analysts have also issued reports on the company. New Street Research lifted their price target on KLA from $1,230.00 to $1,315.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price objective on KLA from $1,500.00 to $1,750.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Argus set a $1,400.00 target price on shares of KLA in a report on Friday, October 31st. Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $1,595.00 target price on shares of KLA in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane boosted their price target on shares of KLA from $820.00 to $1,200.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,477.64.

KLA Stock Up 4.8%

Shares of NASDAQ KLAC opened at $1,616.33 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $212.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.70 and a beta of 1.45. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $1,298.24 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1,114.17. The company has a quick ratio of 1.88, a current ratio of 2.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. KLA has a 52-week low of $551.33 and a 52-week high of $1,618.19.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The semiconductor company reported $8.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.47 by $0.34. KLA had a net margin of 33.83% and a return on equity of 107.26%. The firm had revenue of $3.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.17 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $7.33 EPS. KLA’s quarterly revenue was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that KLA will post 31.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at KLA

In other news, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 2,254 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,237.01, for a total transaction of $2,788,220.54. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 32,154 shares in the company, valued at approximately $39,774,819.54. This represents a 6.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 10,803 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,203.10, for a total value of $12,997,089.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 81,211 shares in the company, valued at $97,704,954.10. This trade represents a 11.74% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 91.48% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On KLA

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Dorsey Wright & Associates purchased a new stake in shares of KLA in the second quarter valued at about $292,000. BLI Banque de Luxembourg Investments lifted its position in KLA by 631.6% in the second quarter. BLI Banque de Luxembourg Investments now owns 15,290 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $13,603,000 after purchasing an additional 13,200 shares during the period. Cozad Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in KLA in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $237,000. Waterloo Capital L.P. acquired a new position in KLA during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $337,000. Finally, Loomis Sayles & Co. L P raised its stake in shares of KLA by 5,697.9% during the 2nd quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 97,231 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $87,094,000 after buying an additional 95,554 shares in the last quarter. 86.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More KLA News

Here are the key news stories impacting KLA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple firms bumped up price targets and reiterated outperform/overweight calls, lifting sentiment and providing near-term upside catalysts. Wolfe Research raises KLAC price target to $1,800 Evercore raises KLAC price target to $1,700
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts cite rising AI infrastructure demand and growth in advanced packaging/WFE end-markets as drivers for KLA’s top-line momentum and durable order trends. KLA Benefits From Growing AI Infrastructure Demand
• Positive Sentiment: Large institutional buying (e.g., FMR, UBS, Arrowstreet) and a stack of buy/outperform ratings support investor confidence and liquidity. KLA Q2 2026 Earnings Preview: Insider & Hedge Fund Activity
• Neutral Sentiment: Q2 earnings are scheduled after the close on Jan 29; consensus estimates are ~ $3.31B revenue and ~$8.98 EPS — the print and any guidance will likely swing sentiment. KLA Q2 2026 Earnings Preview
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and models are focusing beyond headline EPS — watch revenue mix, product cycle timing, backlog, and margin drivers in the company’s guidance discussion. Countdown to KLA Q2 Earnings: Metrics Beyond Revenue & EPS
• Negative Sentiment: Significant insider selling: 12 open-market sales and no purchases in the past six months (including sales by the CEO and other senior execs) could raise governance/conviction questions for some investors. Quiver Quant: Insider Trading Summary
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts flag potential margin pressure even as revenue grows — if KLA’s margins fall short of expectations, the rally could reverse. KLA’s Q2 Earnings Loom: Margin Pressure Focus
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation questions after a >100% one-year run — some commentary asks whether the stock is already priced for perfection, increasing downside risk if guidance is conservative. Is It Too Late To Consider KLA After Its 121% One Year Surge?

KLA Company 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.