KLA Corporation $KLAC Stock Holdings Trimmed by Sigma Planning Corp

Sigma Planning Corp trimmed its position in KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) by 37.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,933 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 3,614 shares during the period. Sigma Planning Corp’s holdings in KLA were worth $1,157,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in KLA by 928.9% in the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 14,821,622 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $4,471,832,000 after purchasing an additional 13,381,153 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in KLA during the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,522,430,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its stake in KLA by 239.3% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 5,614,990 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,094,530,000 after purchasing an additional 3,959,927 shares in the last quarter. National Pension Service grew its position in shares of KLA by 899.4% in the second quarter. National Pension Service now owns 3,634,859 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,096,673,000 after purchasing an additional 3,271,158 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NEOS Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of KLA by 987.0% in the second quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC now owns 979,371 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $295,486,000 after purchasing an additional 889,269 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Virendra Kirloskar sold 4,504 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.50, for a total value of $880,532.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 7,972 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,558,526. This represents a 36.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Brian Lorig sold 59,586 shares of the business’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 sale, the executive vice president owned 77,681 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,167,746.53. This represents a 43.41% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 243,339 shares of company stock worth $46,903,454. 79.39% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

KLA Stock Up 5.5%

Shares of NASDAQ KLAC opened at $167.43 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $218.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.77, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a current ratio of 2.88, a quick ratio of 2.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. KLA Corporation has a 12-month low of $107.20 and a 12-month high of $307.37. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $179.18 and its 200-day simple moving average is $181.70.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The semiconductor company reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.18 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $4.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.04 billion. KLA had a return on equity of 91.73% and a net margin of 36.25%. KLA’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $8.47 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that KLA Corporation will post 5.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 17th were given a dividend of $0.23 per share. This is an increase from KLA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 17th. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. KLA’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.07%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on KLAC. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $220.00 target price on shares of KLA in a report on Thursday. Zacks Research cut KLA from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, September 28th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating and set a $260.00 target price (up from $200.00) on shares of KLA in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $225.00 price objective on shares of KLA in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $180.00 price target (down from $190.00) on shares of KLA in a research note on Thursday. Nineteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, KLA has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $219.35.

KLA News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting KLA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: KLA reported fiscal Q1 2027 revenue of $4.14 billion, above the $4.04 billion consensus estimate, while non-GAAP EPS of $1.22 exceeded expectations of $1.18. Revenue grew 28.9% year over year, supported by demand for wafer-inspection and process-control equipment. KLA Corporation Reports Fiscal 2027 First Quarter Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management forecast fiscal Q2 revenue of approximately $4.7 billion, within a $4.5 billion-$4.9 billion range and above Wall Street expectations. Investors viewed the guidance as evidence that AI-related capital spending is translating into sustained demand for KLA’s equipment. KLA forecasts December-quarter revenue and wafer equipment outlook
• Positive Sentiment: KLA also generated $1.34 billion in quarterly free cash flow and returned $1.24 billion to shareholders, reinforcing its financial strength and capital-return profile.
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target to $240 from $238 and maintained an Overweight rating. Citigroup retained a Buy rating despite reducing its target to $275. JPMorgan adjusts price target on KLA
• Neutral Sentiment: The broader semiconductor-equipment group has benefited from expectations of prolonged memory shortages and years of additional fab construction, providing a favorable industry backdrop for KLA.
• Negative Sentiment: Several analysts cut price targets following the earnings release, including Wells Fargo to $210, Needham to $200, Evercore ISI to $185, Susquehanna to $190, UBS to $180 and Cantor Fitzgerald to $225. UBS maintained a Hold rating, while Susquehanna retained Neutral, signaling valuation and longer-term share-related concerns despite the strong near-term outlook. KLA analysts cut forecasts following Q1 earnings

About KLA

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.