BUZZ-Jefferies sees AI fueling semiconductor demand surge from 2026; upgrades KLA Corp
Jefferies upgrades KLA Corp to "buy" and raises its price target to $1,500, citing AI-driven demand surge from 2026. The brokerage also increases price targets for Applied Materials, Camtek, Lam Research, Nova, and Onto. AI is expected to boost semiconductor capital equipment demand, particularly in leading-edge technologies and DRAM. Jefferies notes lower interest rates favor a shift to analog. Year-to-date, KLAC is up 90%, AMAT 60%, CAMT 39%, LRCX 122%, NVMI 60%, while ONTO is down 6.2%.