<div id="readability-page-1"><p><span>KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report)</span> had its target price increased by analysts at Citigroup  from $1,035.00 to $1,060.00 in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a &#34;buy&#34; rating on the semiconductor company's stock. Citigroup's price objective indicates a potential upside of 19.47% from the company's previous close.</p><ul><li>AI Chip Arms Race: 3 Must-Watch Equipment Stocks</li></ul><p>A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on KLAC. Wells Fargo &amp; Company  reissued an &#34;equal weight&#34; rating and issued a $920.00 target price (up previously from $870.00) on shares of KLA in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. TD Cowen raised their target price on KLA from $800.00 to $900.00 and gave the company a &#34;hold&#34; rating in a report on Friday. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of KLA from $775.00 to $960.00 and gave the company a &#34;neutral&#34; rating in a research note on Monday, July 21st. JPMorgan Chase &amp; Co. raised their price target on shares of KLA from $900.00 to $1,070.00 and gave the company an &#34;overweight&#34; rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Needham &amp; Company LLC  reiterated a &#34;buy&#34; rating and issued a $830.00 price objective on shares of KLA in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned  a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company  has an average rating of &#34;Hold&#34; and a consensus target price of $890.59.</p><p><b>Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on KLAC</b></p><h2>KLA Price Performance</h2><ul><li>3 Tech Leaders Announce Buybacks Totaling $85 Billion</li></ul><p>KLAC stock traded up $8.23 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $887.26. 1,177,780 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,168,718. KLA has a fifty-two week low of $551.33 and a fifty-two week high of $945.87. The stock has a market cap of $117.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.25, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.42. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $872.48 and its 200-day moving average price is $767.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47, a quick ratio of 1.74 and a current ratio of 2.54. </p><p>KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The semiconductor company reported $9.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $8.53 by $0.85. The business had revenue of $3.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.08 billion. KLA had a net margin of 31.99% and a return on equity of 112.97%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 23.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $6.60 earnings per share.  Research analysts predict that  KLA will post 31.59 earnings per share for the current year. </p><ul><li>2 Semiconductor Stocks That Could Break Out in 2025</li></ul><p>KLA announced that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Wednesday, April 30th that authorizes the company to buyback $5.00 billion in  outstanding  shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the semiconductor company to repurchase up to 5.4% of its stock  through open market purchases. Stock  buyback programs are often a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued. </p><h2>Insider Activity</h2><p>In related news, CFO Bren D. Higgins sold 1,019 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $766.46, for a total value of $781,022.74. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 27,779 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,291,492.34. This represents a 3.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Richard P. Wallace sold 10,802 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $683.30, for a total transaction of $7,381,006.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 78,740 shares of the company's stock, valued at $53,803,042. This represents a 12.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 11,860 shares of company stock worth $8,196,798. Corporate insiders own  0.12% of the company's stock. </p><h2>Institutional Investors Weigh In On KLA</h2><p>Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. 3Chopt Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of  KLA in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $402,000.  GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of  KLA by 40.1% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,463 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $1,674,000 after purchasing an additional 705 shares during the period.  Confluence Wealth Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of  KLA in the first quarter valued at about $1,479,000.  Keyvantage Wealth LLC bought a new stake in  KLA in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $214,000.  Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in  KLA by 2.8% during the 1st quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 138,990 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $93,624,000 after purchasing an additional 3,846 shares during the last quarter. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. </p><h2>About KLA</h2> (Get Free Report)<p>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.</p><h2>Featured Articles</h2><ul><li>Five stocks we like better than KLA</li><li>Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC) What You Need to Know </li><li>Play It Cool: Why Comfort Systems USA Is a Hidden AI Winner</li><li>How the NYSE and NASDAQ are Different, Why That Matters to Investors</li><li>Rocket Lab Reports Next Week: Here’s What Investors Should Know</li><li>Airline Stocks - Top Airline Stocks to Buy Now</li><li>Apple Stock: Big Earnings, Small Move—Time to Buy?</li></ul><p><img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/RatingsAndPriceTargetChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5BU0RBUSZTeW1ib2w9S0xBQw?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="650" height="330" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/RatingsAndPriceTargetChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5BU0RBUSZTeW1ib2w9S0xBQw"/></p><p><em>This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.</em></p><h2>Should You Invest $1,000 in KLA Right Now?</h2><p>Before you consider KLA, you'll want to hear this.</p><p>MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and KLA wasn't on the list.</p><p>While KLA currently has a Hold rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.</p><p>View The Five Stocks Here</p>                  </div>

KLAC

<p>Citigroup has raised its price target for KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) from $1,035 to $1,060, maintaining a "buy" rating. This suggests a potential upside of 19.47% from the previous close. Other analysts have also adjusted their ratings, with a consensus target price of $890.59. KLA's stock recently traded at $887.26, with a market cap of $117.33 billion. The company reported strong earnings, exceeding estimates, and has approved a $5 billion share repurchase program, indicating management's confidence in the stock's value.</p>

Citigroup Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) Stock