Sanders Morris Harris LLC Acquires New Shares in KLA Corporation $KLAC

Sanders Morris Harris LLC bought a new position in KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund bought 17,500 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,411,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in KLA by 35.4% in the 3rd quarter. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC now owns 758 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $148,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares in the last quarter. Generate Investment Management Ltd bought a new position in shares of KLA during the 3rd quarter valued at about $20,040,000. MinichMacGregor Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of KLA by 6.4% during the 3rd quarter. MinichMacGregor Wealth Management LLC now owns 54,609 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $10,645,000 after purchasing an additional 3,277 shares during the last quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. grew its position in shares of KLA by 234.9% during the third quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 24,573 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $4,790,000 after purchasing an additional 17,235 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stonehearth Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of KLA during the third quarter valued at about $298,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.65% of the company’s stock.

KLA Price Performance

Shares of KLA stock traded down $5.19 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $178.81. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 14,449,046 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,073,792. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $187.96 and a 200-day moving average price of $196.41. KLA Corporation has a one year low of $105.39 and a one year high of $307.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 2.88 and a quick ratio of 2.03. The stock has a market cap of $233.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.45.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The semiconductor company reported $1.05 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.00 by $0.05. KLA had a net margin of 35.57% and a return on equity of 87.66%. The firm had revenue of $3.66 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.61 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.94 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. KLA has set its Q1 2027 guidance at 1.060-1.260 EPS. On average, analysts predict that KLA Corporation will post 5.43 EPS for the current year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 17th were given a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. This is a boost from KLA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 17th. KLA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.07%.

KLA News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting KLA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street’s consensus price target implies approximately 27.9% upside from current levels. Recent upward earnings-estimate revisions could provide near-term support, although price-target metrics are not consistently reliable. Wall Street Analysts See a 27.86% Upside in KLA
• Positive Sentiment: KLA’s latest reported quarter exceeded consensus estimates, with revenue rising 15.2% year over year and earnings per share above expectations. Its fiscal first-quarter 2027 earnings call is scheduled for October 28, which could provide a catalyst if management maintains its growth outlook.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company set a $245.00 target price on KLA and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $325.00 price objective on shares of KLA in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $195.00 price objective (down from $220.00) on shares of KLA in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $225.00 target price on shares of KLA in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $180.00 target price (up from $170.00) on shares of KLA in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Eighteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $221.26.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 77,681 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,167,746.53. The trade was a 43.41% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 72,019 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.88, for a total value of $12,378,625.72. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 706,925 shares in the company, valued at approximately $121,506,269. This represents a 9.25% 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 valued at $46,903,454. 79.39% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

KLA Profile

KLA Corporation (NASDAQ: KLAC) develops process-control and yield-management solutions used by semiconductor and electronics manufacturers. Its systems help customers detect defects, measure and analyze materials and structures, and monitor manufacturing processes throughout the production of integrated circuits and other advanced electronic components.

The company’s product portfolio includes inspection and metrology systems, wafer and reticle inspection equipment, process-control software, data analytics tools, and related services.