KLA Corporation $KLAC Stock Position Increased by Park Avenue Securities LLC

Park Avenue Securities LLC increased its holdings in KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 7.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 86,380 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after buying an additional 5,713 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC’s holdings in KLA were worth $16,838,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of KLAC. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of KLA by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 83,432 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $16,263,000 after purchasing an additional 2,085 shares during the period. AGH Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in KLA by 19.0% during the 3rd quarter. AGH Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,738 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $339,000 after purchasing an additional 277 shares in the last quarter. RD Finance Ltd purchased a new stake in KLA during the 3rd quarter worth about $1,105,000. Motive Wealth Advisors boosted its stake in KLA by 5.8% in the 3rd quarter. Motive Wealth Advisors now owns 2,067 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $403,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares during the period. Finally, Leo Wealth LLC bought a new position in KLA in the 3rd quarter worth about $266,000. 86.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

KLA News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting KLA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong results and guidance support the stock. KLA’s quarterly performance exceeded analyst expectations, with earnings and revenue above consensus and revenue growth from the prior year. Analysts’ commentary indicates that the company’s outlook remains supported by semiconductor-fabrication investment and demand for process-control equipment. Market Rotation Overshadows KLA Corp’s Solid Results and Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: AI and data-center expansion remain important growth drivers. KLA’s earnings are being viewed alongside Equinix and Vertiv as indicators of whether AI-related data-center construction will continue accelerating into 2027. Strong demand across the semiconductor and data-center supply chain could benefit KLA’s inspection and metrology business. What Equinix, KLA, and Vertiv Earnings Could Signal About Data Center Demand
• Positive Sentiment: Rising semiconductor complexity is viewed as a potential new growth cycle. Analysts and investment commentary highlight KLA’s leadership in process control, advanced packaging exposure and benefits from AI-driven chip demand. One comparison with Applied Materials and Lam Research characterizes KLA as well positioned as manufacturers require more inspection and measurement throughout production. KLA Corporation Versus AMAT and LRCX
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst views remain generally constructive but valuation and sector conditions matter. Recent coverage compares KLA favorably with other semiconductor stocks and notes that earnings-estimate revisions and oversold technical conditions could support a rebound after the recent decline. However, the articles also emphasize that market rotation has limited the response to KLA’s fundamentally positive update. Analysts Offer Insights on KLA, Cisco Systems and Hewlett Packard Enterprise
• Negative Sentiment: Technology-sector rotation is the main near-term headwind. Despite KLA’s solid results and outlook, investors have rotated away from technology shares, overshadowing the company-specific positives and potentially increasing volatility. Market Rotation Overshadows KLA Corp’s Solid Results and Guidance

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $225.00 target price on shares of KLA in a report on Monday, July 20th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of KLA from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday, October 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $225.00 price target on shares of KLA in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and issued a $270.00 price objective on shares of KLA in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $325.00 price objective on shares of KLA in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Nineteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $221.26.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP MaryBeth Wilkinson sold 13,802 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $195.50, for a total value of $2,698,291.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 22,110 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,322,505. This represents a 38.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Brian Lorig sold 59,586 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $208.13, for a total transaction of $12,401,634.18. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 77,681 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,167,746.53. This trade represents a 43.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 243,339 shares of company stock worth $46,903,454. Insiders own 79.39% of the company’s stock.

KLA Stock Performance

Shares of KLAC stock opened at $153.66 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $200.53 billion, a PE ratio of 41.90 and a beta of 1.45. KLA Corporation has a 52-week low of $107.20 and a 52-week high of $307.37. The business’s fifty day moving average is $180.29 and its 200 day moving average is $181.43.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The semiconductor company reported $1.05 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $3.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.61 billion. KLA’s quarterly revenue was up 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.94 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that KLA Corporation will post 5.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 17th were issued a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 17th. This is an increase from KLA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. KLA’s payout ratio is 25.07%.

KLA Company Profile

KLA Corporation (NASDAQ: KLAC) develops process control, inspection and yield management solutions for the semiconductor and other advanced manufacturing industries. Its technologies help manufacturers identify defects, measure critical dimensions and monitor production processes to improve quality, reliability and manufacturing efficiency.

The company’s product portfolio includes wafer and reticle inspection systems, metrology and measurement tools, defect review and classification systems, and software for analyzing manufacturing data.