Weekly Investment Analysts’ Ratings Changes for KLA (KLAC)

KLA (NASDAQ: KLAC) recently received a number of ratings updates from brokerages and research firms:

• 2/3/2025 – KLA had its price target raised by analysts at Morgan Stanley from $703.00 to $748.00. They now have an “equal weight” rating on the stock.
• 1/31/2025 – KLA had its price target raised by analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $795.00 to $870.00. They now have an “overweight” rating on the stock.
• 1/31/2025 – KLA had its price target raised by analysts at Cantor Fitzgerald from $800.00 to $875.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.
• 1/31/2025 – KLA had its price target raised by analysts at Barclays PLC from $700.00 to $760.00. They now have an “equal weight” rating on the stock.
• 1/31/2025 – KLA had its price target raised by analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. from $759.00 to $864.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
• 1/31/2025 – KLA had its price target raised by analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from $800.00 to $825.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
• 1/31/2025 – KLA had its price target raised by analysts at Needham & Company LLC from $800.00 to $830.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
• 1/31/2025 – KLA had its price target raised by analysts at Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft from $725.00 to $850.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
• 1/22/2025 – KLA had its price target raised by analysts at Susquehanna from $620.00 to $655.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.
• 1/21/2025 – KLA had its price target raised by analysts at UBS Group AG from $665.00 to $780.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.
• 1/17/2025 – KLA had its price target lowered by analysts at Barclays PLC from $750.00 to $700.00. They now have an “equal weight” rating on the stock.
• 1/13/2025 – KLA had its price target lowered by analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $800.00 to $795.00. They now have an “overweight” rating on the stock.
• 1/13/2025 – KLA was upgraded by analysts at Needham & Company LLC from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating. They now have a $750.00 price target on the stock.
• 1/10/2025 – KLA had its price target lowered by analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. from $850.00 to $759.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
• 12/6/2024 – KLA had its price target lowered by analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $870.00 to $800.00. They now have an “overweight” rating on the stock.

KLA Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ KLAC traded up $9.65 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $749.86. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 543,613 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,267,976. The company has a market cap of $100.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.53, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.28. KLA Co. has a fifty-two week low of $595.86 and a fifty-two week high of $896.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a current ratio of 2.36. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $677.87 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $716.00.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.73 by $0.47. KLA had a net margin of 29.58% and a return on equity of 108.60%. On average, analysts forecast that KLA Co. will post 30.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a dividend of $1.70 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This is an increase from KLA’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.45. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.91%. KLA’s dividend payout ratio is 28.60%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On KLA

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KLAC. Swedbank AB raised its position in shares of KLA by 0.4% during the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 550,949 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $426,660,000 after purchasing an additional 2,019 shares during the period. Diversify Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of KLA by 22.7% during the fourth quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 648 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $443,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Community Financial Services Group LLC boosted its holdings in KLA by 538.5% during the third quarter. Community Financial Services Group LLC now owns 7,445 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $5,765,000 after purchasing an additional 6,279 shares during the last quarter. Eastern Bank grew its position in KLA by 655.8% in the 3rd quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 27,368 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $21,194,000 after purchasing an additional 23,747 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ING Groep NV increased its stake in KLA by 52.4% in the 3rd quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 79,763 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $61,769,000 after buying an additional 27,436 shares during the last quarter. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.