Insider Selling: KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) EVP Sells 14,392 Shares of Stock

KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) EVP Mary Beth Wilkinson sold 14,392 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $285.30, for a total value of $4,106,037.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 53,367 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,225,605.10. This trade represents a 21.24% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards.

KLA Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ KLAC opened at $235.55 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 3.03 and a quick ratio of 2.11. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $211.97 and a 200-day moving average price of $169.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $307.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 66.67, a P/E/G ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.41. KLA Corporation has a 1 year low of $83.22 and a 1 year high of $307.37.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The semiconductor company reported $9.40 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.92 by $8.48. The business had revenue of $3.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.37 billion. KLA had a net margin of 35.66% and a return on equity of 91.89%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.84 EPS. KLA has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 8.870-10.870 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that KLA Corporation will post 3.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

KLA Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, May 18th were issued a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 18th. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. KLA’s dividend payout ratio is 26.06%.

KLA announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Thursday, March 12th that authorizes the company to buyback $7.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the semiconductor company to reacquire up to 3.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Trending Headlines about KLA

Here are the key news stories impacting KLA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Several brokerage notes still describe KLA as a “Buy” or “Overweight” name, suggesting Wall Street continues to view the company’s long-term business quality favorably. KLA (KLAC): New Buy Recommendation for This Technology Giant
• Positive Sentiment: One recent commentary argued KLA may be preferable to ASML right now, reinforcing that investors still see it as a strong semiconductor equipment company. Why I Prefer KLA Corporation Over ASML Right Now
• Neutral Sentiment: Another article highlighted that an independent fund exited the stock because it viewed the valuation as stretched relative to quality, which may add to investor caution but does not change KLA’s operating outlook. Vltava Fund Exited KLA Corporation (KLAC) Amid Price-Quality Imbalance
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple reports focused on KLAC’s recent drop and described the stock as expensive, with one noting a “dangerous price” relative to fundamentals. That valuation concern is likely the main reason the shares are falling today. KLA: A Great Business At A Dangerous Price
• Negative Sentiment: Market commentary also tied KLA’s weakness to broader semiconductor stock selling, with KLAC singled out as one of the larger drags on the sector and on the market index. KLA (KLAC) Stock Moves -11.51%: What You Should Know

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Citic Securities upped their target price on KLA from $135.00 to $197.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on KLA from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of KLA from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. New Street Research boosted their price target on shares of KLA from $146.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $190.00 price target on shares of KLA in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Twenty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, KLA presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $277.34.

Institutional Trading of KLA

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of KLA by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 180,279 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $265,444,000 after buying an additional 1,291 shares during the last quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd grew its stake in shares of KLA by 151.2% during the 1st quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 116,292 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $171,230,000 after acquiring an additional 70,000 shares during the period. Achmea Investment Management B.V. increased its holdings in KLA by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter. Achmea Investment Management B.V. now owns 104,507 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $112,721,000 after acquiring an additional 6,109 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC lifted its holdings in KLA by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC now owns 96,846 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $117,676,000 after purchasing an additional 374 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab purchased a new stake in KLA during the fourth quarter valued at about $119,618,000. 86.65% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About KLA

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.