KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) EVP Mary Beth Wilkinson Sells 4,295 Shares of Stock

KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) EVP Mary Beth Wilkinson sold 4,295 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $191.59, for a total transaction of $822,879.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 35,912 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,880,380.08. This represents a 10.68% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards.

Mary Beth Wilkinson also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, July 1st, Mary Beth Wilkinson sold 14,392 shares of KLA stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.30, for a total transaction of $4,106,037.60.

KLA Stock Performance

NASDAQ KLAC opened at $195.45 on Wednesday. KLA Corporation has a 52-week low of $83.22 and a 52-week high of $307.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 2.03 and a current ratio of 2.88. The company has a market capitalization of $255.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.30, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a fifty day moving average of $223.56 and a 200-day moving average of $182.42.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The semiconductor company reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.05. KLA had a net margin of 35.57% and a return on equity of 87.66%. The company had revenue of $3.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.61 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.94 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. KLA has set its Q1 2027 guidance at 1.060-1.260 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that KLA Corporation will post 5.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

KLA Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 18th were given a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 18th. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. KLA’s dividend payout ratio is 25.07%.

Institutional Trading of KLA

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in KLAC. Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its stake in shares of KLA by 978.2% in the second quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 858,984 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $259,164,000 after buying an additional 779,317 shares during the period. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC boosted its position in KLA by 781.5% during the 2nd quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 359,277 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $108,397,000 after buying an additional 318,520 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its position in 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 period. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd grew its holdings in KLA by 151.2% in 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 last quarter. Finally, Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC grew its holdings in KLA by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC now owns 96,846 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $117,676,000 after acquiring an additional 374 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KLAC has been the subject of several research reports. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $210.00 target price (up from $200.00) on shares of KLA in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $250.00 price objective on shares of KLA and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. UBS Group set a $240.00 price objective on shares of KLA and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Argus lifted their target price on shares of KLA from $175.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $195.00 price target (down from $220.00) on shares of KLA in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $223.70.

KLA News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting KLA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Semiconductor exchange-traded funds staged a sharp rebound as investors rotated back into the AI trade. The sector-wide move may be lifting demand expectations for KLA’s wafer-inspection and process-control equipment. Semiconductor ETFs Surge up to 19% in Huge Rally as the AI Trade Ramps Back Up
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity showed investors purchasing 13,127 KLA call contracts, about 48% above typical daily volume. The activity suggests some traders are positioning for a rebound, though options flows are not a guarantee of future performance.
• Positive Sentiment: One Wall Street view argues that KLA’s structural exposure to AI-related chip manufacturing could produce substantial long-term upside after the stock’s recent selloff. Analysts cited in the report generally maintain targets above the recent trading range. KLA Corporation Cratered 40% Over The Last 30 Days
• Neutral Sentiment: KLA’s latest quarterly results exceeded expectations, with revenue up 15.2% year over year and earnings above consensus. However, the company’s valuation remains elevated, with a reported price-to-earnings ratio above 50, increasing sensitivity to any slowdown in semiconductor spending.
• Negative Sentiment: Chief Accounting Officer Virendra Kirloskar and EVP Mary Beth Wilkinson sold shares worth approximately $300,000 and $823,000, respectively. Both transactions covered tax withholding tied to equity vesting, which makes them less concerning than discretionary sales, but they still add to a broader pattern of insider selling.
• Negative Sentiment: Recent coverage highlights that KLA has fallen sharply from its highs amid concerns about China exposure and whether AI-related chip spending can remain strong. Institutional ownership data also showed several large investors reducing their positions, reinforcing the cautious sentiment. Bearish Pressure Is Building Around These 3 Stocks

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.