Company Performance - KLA's stock has increased by 5.9% over the past month and reached a new 52-week high of $931.96, with a year-to-date gain of 46.5% compared to 8.1% for the Zacks Computer and Technology sector and 12.4% for the Zacks Electronics - Miscellaneous Products industry [1] - KLA has consistently beaten the Zacks Consensus Estimate in the last four quarters, reporting EPS of $8.41 against an estimate of $8.06 in its last earnings report [2] Earnings Projections - For the current fiscal year, KLA is expected to post earnings of $33.16 per share on revenues of $12.05 billion, with a year-over-year change of 2.15% [3] - For the next fiscal year, earnings are projected to be $37.03 per share on revenues of $12.38 billion, reflecting a year-over-year change of 2.77% [3] Valuation Metrics - KLA's stock trades at 27.8X current fiscal year EPS estimates, which is a premium compared to the peer industry average of 19.5X, and at 31.7X on a trailing cash flow basis versus an average of 13.5X for its peers [7] - The stock has a PEG ratio of 1.72, indicating it is not in the top echelon from a value perspective [7] Zacks Rank and Style Scores - KLA holds a Zacks Rank of 2 (Buy) due to a solid earnings estimate revision trend, which aligns with the recommendation for investors to select stocks with Zacks Rank of 1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy) [8] - The company has a Value Score of C, Growth Score of B, and Momentum Score of B, resulting in a combined VGM Score of B [6] Industry Comparison - Universal Electronics Inc. (UEIC) is a notable peer with a Zacks Rank of 2 (Buy), and it has strong scores in Value (A) and Growth (A), although a lower Momentum Score (D) [9] - UEIC is expected to post earnings of $0.52 per share on revenues of $399.18 million for the current fiscal year, having beaten the consensus estimate by 20.00% last quarter [10] - The Electronics - Miscellaneous Products industry is positioned in the top 31% of all industries, indicating favorable conditions for both KLA and UEIC [11]

Core Insights - The demand for data centers is expected to significantly boost semiconductor stocks for years to come, with companies like NVIDIA leading the market with over 80% share in GPUs [1][2]. Group 1: Semiconductor Companies - ASML is a leader in extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography systems, essential for producing advanced chips required for AI applications, achieving 52% year-over-year revenue growth in its latest quarter [3][6]. - Applied Materials provides key technologies for chip manufacturing, including processes necessary for high-performance AI chips, and is expected to see revenue growth of 6.5% to $29 billion by 2025 [7][9]. - KLA specializes in yield management, helping manufacturers improve efficiency and reduce defects in chip production, with analysts raising price targets in anticipation of strong earnings [12][13]. Group 2: Market Trends and Projections - The shift towards more power-efficient chips in hyperscale data centers is driving the need for advanced semiconductor technologies [2][4]. - Generative AI workloads necessitate cutting-edge GPUs and specialized accelerators, which rely on precision manufacturing equipment [5]. - Analysts have set a consensus price target of $923.80 for ASML, indicating a potential gain of over 16%, while KLA's stock is currently above its consensus price target, reflecting strong market expectations [6][12].

Core Insights - KLA Corporation (KLAC) is expanding its advanced packaging business to meet rising demand for High-Bandwidth Memory (HBM) and advanced logic nodes, essential for AI workloads [1][4] - The company’s inspection and metrology tools are crucial for enhancing performance and yield in multi-die architectures, particularly in 2.5D and 3D integration [1][4] Advanced Packaging Business - KLAC's advanced packaging business is part of the Semiconductor Process Control segment, which reported $2.74 billion in revenue for Q3 FY25, reflecting a 31% year-over-year increase [3][10] - Advanced packaging revenues are expected to exceed $850 million in 2025, driven by increased demand from foundry and memory customers [3][10] Competitive Landscape - KLAC faces increasing competition from Applied Materials (AMAT) and ASML Holdings (ASML), both enhancing their roles in complex integration for logic and memory devices [5] - Applied Materials is advancing with solutions for high-density packaging, while ASML's EUV lithography systems are critical for advanced patterning steps that support packaging performance [6][7] Stock Performance and Valuation - KLAC's shares have increased by 46.2% year-to-date, outperforming the broader Zacks Computer & Technology sector, which rose by 5.7% [8] - The stock is trading at a forward 12-month Price/Sales ratio of 10.11X, significantly higher than the industry average of 3.2X [12] Earnings Estimates - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for KLAC's Q4 FY25 earnings is $8.53 per share, indicating a year-over-year growth of 29.24% [15] - For the full year 2025, the consensus estimate for earnings is $32.46 per share, reflecting a 36.73% increase year-over-year [15]

Core Insights - Applied Materials (AMAT) and KLA Corporation (KLAC) are significant players in the semiconductor equipment market, with AMAT focusing on equipment for deposition, etching, and inspection, while KLAC specializes in process control and metrology systems [1][2] Group 1: Applied Materials (AMAT) - AMAT is seeing strong traction in its Sym3 Magnum etch system and other advanced technologies crucial for AI and high-performance computing (HPC) workloads [3] - Since its launch in February 2024, AMAT's Sym3 Magnum etch system has generated over $1.2 billion in revenues, with projected revenue growth of over 40% from DRAM customers in fiscal 2025 [4] - AMAT's revenues from advanced semiconductor nodes exceeded $2.5 billion in 2024, with expectations to double in fiscal 2025 due to increased adoption of its GAA and backside power delivery solutions [4] - The company faces challenges from U.S. trade restrictions on semiconductor equipment sales to China, impacting its revenues from 200mm equipment and overall performance in the Chinese market [5][6] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for AMAT indicates single-digit growth in both revenues and EPS for fiscal 2025, with year-over-year growth of 6% and 9.5%, respectively [7] Group 2: KLA Corporation (KLAC) - KLAC projects advanced packaging revenues of $850 million in 2025, up from $500 million in 2024, with a strong market share in process control [11][12] - The demand for AI chips is driving the need for KLAC's advanced process control solutions, which are expected to continue experiencing robust traction [12][13] - KLAC's EPS is projected to grow by 36.7% in fiscal 2025, significantly higher than AMAT's projected growth [11][15] - The semiconductor process control market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.2% from 2026 to 2033, with KLAC holding over 56% market share in 2024 [14] Group 3: Stock Performance and Valuation - Year-to-date, shares of AMAT and KLAC have gained 17.3% and 46.2%, respectively [17] - AMAT and KLAC are trading at forward 12-month price-to-sales multiples of 5.10X and 10.11X, above their one-year medians [19] - KLAC has a stronger market share and is rated higher with a Zacks Rank 2 (Buy), while AMAT holds a Zacks Rank 3 (Hold) [20]

Core Insights - KLA Corporation (KLAC) shares have increased by 42.6% year to date, outperforming the Zacks Electronics - Miscellaneous Products industry's growth of 12.3% and the Zacks Computer and Technology sector's growth of 6.8% [1] - The company's strong performance is attributed to high demand for EUV reticle inspection, substrate metrology, and advanced process control tools, driven by increasing chip complexity and AI-driven design transitions [3][6] Financial Performance - KLA's wafer inspection revenues surged 51% year over year to $1.5 billion, accounting for nearly half of the company's total revenues [7][9] - For the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025, KLA expects revenues of $3.075 billion, with a non-GAAP earnings estimate of $8.53 per share, indicating a year-over-year growth of 29.24% [11][12] Market Position - KLA's advanced packaging revenues are projected to exceed $850 million in 2025, reflecting a growing demand for solutions that enable 2.5D and 3D integration [7] - The company is well-positioned to benefit from packaging-related equipment demand due to expanding investments in Foundry, Logic, and DRAM to support AI workloads [8] Competitive Landscape - KLA's shares have outperformed industry peers such as Garmin, Tokyo Electron, and SMC Corporation, which have seen lower appreciation rates [2] - KLAC is trading at a forward price/sales ratio of 9.83X, significantly higher than the industry's 3.2X, indicating a premium valuation compared to competitors [13] Growth Drivers - The adoption of KLA's EUV and substrate inspection systems is gaining momentum, driven by rising complexity at leading-edge nodes [10] - Strong demand for AI-linked tools and packaging systems is driving KLA's advanced revenue projections [7][15]

Company Performance - KLA's stock closed at $871.16, down 2.45% from the previous day, underperforming the S&P 500 which fell 0.03% [1] - The stock has increased by 13% over the past month, outperforming the Computer and Technology sector's gain of 3.02% and the S&P 500's gain of 0.6% [1] Upcoming Earnings - KLA is expected to report an EPS of $8.53, reflecting a growth of 29.24% year-over-year [2] - Quarterly revenue is projected to be $3.08 billion, up 19.74% from the same period last year [2] Annual Forecast - Zacks Consensus Estimates predict earnings of $32.46 per share and revenue of $12.05 billion for the year, indicating increases of 36.73% and 22.77% respectively compared to the previous year [3] - Recent analyst estimate revisions suggest a positive outlook for KLA's business [3] Valuation Metrics - KLA has a Forward P/E ratio of 27.51, which is higher than the industry average of 18.69, indicating a premium valuation [6] - The company has a PEG ratio of 1.7, compared to the industry average of 1.69 [7] Industry Context - KLA operates within the Electronics - Miscellaneous Products industry, which is part of the Computer and Technology sector [8] - The industry has a Zacks Industry Rank of 143, placing it in the bottom 42% of over 250 industries, suggesting weaker performance compared to higher-ranked industries [8]

For new and old investors, taking full advantage of the stock market and investing with confidence are common goals. Zacks Premium provides lots of different ways to do both.The popular research service can help you become a smarter, more self-assured investor, giving you access to daily updates of the Zacks Rank and Zacks Industry Rank, the Zacks #1 Rank List, Equity Research reports, and Premium stock screens.Zacks Premium also includes the Zacks Style Scores. What are the Zacks Style Scores? Developed al ...

Have you been paying attention to shares of KLA (KLAC) ? Shares have been on the move with the stock up 13% over the past month. The stock hit a new 52-week high of $914.83 in the previous session. KLA has gained 41.7% since the start of the year compared to the 1.6% gain for the Zacks Computer and Technology sector and the -19.5% return for the Zacks Electronics - Miscellaneous Products industry. On this front, we can look at the Zacks Style Scores, as these give investors a variety of ways to comb through ...

For those looking to find strong Computer and Technology stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. KLA (KLAC) is a stock that can certainly grab the attention of many investors, but do its recent returns compare favorably to the sector as a whole? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.KLA is a member of our Computer and Technology group, which includes 608 different companies and currently sits at #7 in the Zacks Sec ...

KLAC reverses early weakness at the time of Alert from TradePulseKLA Corp. (KLAC) today experienced a Power Inflow, a significant event for those who follow where smart money goes and value order flow analytics in their trading decisions. Today, at 10:20 AM on June 5th, a significant trading signal occurred for KLA Corp. (KLAC) as it demonstrated a Power Inflow at a price of $780.05. This indicator is crucial for traders who want to know directionally where institutions and so-called "smart money" moves in ...