Group 1: Company Overview - KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) is a semiconductor manufacturing corporation that designs, manufactures, and markets process control, process-enabling, and yield management solutions for the semiconductor and related electronics industries worldwide [4]. Group 2: Analyst Upgrade and Price Target - TD Cowen analyst Krish Sankar upgraded KLA's stock from Hold to "Buy" and raised the price target to $1,800.00 from $1,300.00, reflecting a significant increase in earnings estimates [1][3]. - The upgrade is based on an anticipated acceleration in foundry-led wafer fabrication equipment (WFE) demand, with a projected calendar year 2026-2027 compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20% for leading-edge foundry spending, compared to 15% for memory [2][3][4]. Group 3: Market Trends - The semiconductor equipment market is expected to see leading-edge foundry spending as the fastest-growing segment, driven by major players like TSMC and Samsung [2][4]. - The updated WFE analysis indicates that attention is currently focused on memory WFE due to rising DRAM/NAND pricing, but leading-edge foundry spending is projected to outpace memory spending in the near future [4].

KLA Corporation ( KLAC ) has graduated from a cyclical play to a structural compounder, but the stock has fully priced that in too - that is the crux of this Hold thesis. I will look at the inflection underway and project earnings outlook forI am a stock analyst with over 20 years of experience in quantitative research, financial modeling, and risk management. My focus is on equity valuation, market trends, and portfolio optimization to uncover high-growth investment opportunities. As a former Vice Presiden ...

Investment Strategy - A well-diversified portfolio should be constructed with a core foundation of a high-quality low-cost S&P 500 fund [1] - For those who can tolerate short-term risks, an overweight position in the technology sector is recommended, as it is believed to be in the early stages of a long-term secular bull market [1] - Large oil and gas companies that provide strong dividend income and growth are suggested for dividend income [1] Portfolio Management Approach - A top-down capital allocation approach is recommended, tailored to individual investor situations such as age, retirement status, risk tolerance, income, net worth, and goals [1] - Suggested investment categories include S&P 500, technology, dividend income, sector ETFs, growth, speculative growth, gold, and cash [1]

We recently published 9 Stocks Jim Cramer Talked About.  KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) is one of the stocks on Jim Cramer talked about. KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) is a semiconductor manufacturing equipment and services provider. Its shares are up by 117% over the past year and by 22% year-to-date. Investment bank Morgan Stanley has started the year on a strong note for the firm as it has upgraded KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC)’s shares to Overweight from Equalweight and bumped the stock price target to ...

Group 1 - The core viewpoint of the article is that semiconductor revenue from AI applications is expected to grow significantly, from $220 billion in 2025 to over $550 billion by 2028, according to RBC Capital Markets [1] - Current market supply is tight, with enterprise order delivery cycles extended to 18 months, which clarifies the industry's outlook [1] - Infrastructure bottlenecks may delay some projects, but this could smooth out the spending cycle in the AI sector rather than being a negative factor [1] Group 2 - RBC Capital Markets has initiated coverage on several semiconductor companies, giving them an "outperform" rating, including Nvidia, Micron Technology, Marvell Technology, Arm, Astera Labs, ASML, Applied Materials, Lam Research, and Lattice Semiconductor [1] - For companies like Broadcom, AMD, Intel, KLA, SanDisk, Qualcomm, Skyworks, and Silicon Labs, RBC has assigned a "market perform" rating [2] Group 3 - High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) demand is expected to be a core growth driver, potentially reducing the cyclical volatility of the memory market [3] - AI workloads are shifting towards reinforcement learning and distributed inference, which require high memory performance [3] - The upcoming HBM4 iteration is anticipated to be beneficial, with average prices expected to increase by 30-50% [3] - The demand for high-capacity server memory (DIMM) and solid-state drives (NAND eSSD) is also driven by the explosion of generative AI [3] - Despite high memory prices potentially impacting demand in the PC and smartphone markets, the memory industry is expected to remain in a supply-demand imbalance until 2027 [3] - Capital expenditures in the wafer fabrication equipment (WFE) sector are projected to maintain strong growth over the next two years [3] - Technological trends such as backside power delivery, advanced packaging, and three-dimensional structures are expected to drive at least high single-digit growth in the wafer fabrication equipment market over the next two years [3]

Key Points Wells Fargo analyst Joseph Quatrochi upgraded KLA stock to overweight today. The analyst seems strong sales growth ahead as demand for 2nm chips expands. 10 stocks we like better than KLA › KLA Corp (NASDAQ: KLAC) stock soared 9.2% through 1:15 p.m. ET Thursday after one of its biggest customers for semiconductor manufacturing equipment, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (NYSE: TSM), reported strong Q4 2025 earnings. TSMC earned $2.98 per share on sales of $32.7 billion, blowing ...

KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) is one of the best long term growth stocks to buy according to hedge funds. KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) received a rating update from Cantor Fitzgerald on January 8. The firm lifted the price target on the stock to $1,750 from $1,500 and maintained an Overweight rating on the shares. KLA Corporation (KLAC) Is One Of The Most Important Companies In America, Says Jim Cramer The firm told investors that conviction remains high despite the recent outperformance, with increasin ...

Summary of Key Points from Semiconductor Capital Equipment Conference Call Industry Overview - The conference call focuses on the **Semiconductor Capital Equipment (Semicap)** industry, particularly the **Wafer Fab Equipment (WFE)** segment, which is expected to enter a multi-year upcycle starting in CY26 [1][2]. Core Insights and Arguments - **WFE Supercycle**: Anticipation of a robust demand for WFE, with expectations of broad-based beats and raises in Q4 and Q1, driven by AI constraints and upgrades in leading-edge technologies [1]. - **China's Impact**: The suspension of the "50% affiliate" rule for companies like LRCX and KLAC is expected to provide a significant boost, with potential revenue increases of $200 million for LRCX in Q4 and $600 million in CY26, and $300-$350 million for KLAC in CY26 [1]. - **Growth Projections**: Initial guidance for CY26 WFE growth is expected to be at least mid-single digits (MSD) YoY, with a target of $131 billion (+10% YoY) for CY26 and $150 billion (+13% YoY) for CY27 [2]. - **Historical Performance**: The top five WFE vendors are projected to grow at only 8%/13% in CY26/27, suggesting potential upside to estimates based on historical outperformance [2]. - **Capital Intensity**: Historical capital intensity trends indicate potential upside to WFE estimates, with expectations of nearly $20 billion of upside through CY27 [2]. Key Drivers of Growth - **Leading-edge Technologies**: Anticipated strength in leading-edge F/L WFE due to competitive capacity constraints at TSMC, alongside growth in DRAM and NAND upgrades [3]. - **Process Control**: Companies like KLAC and NVMI are expected to outperform due to a broadening customer base and rising DRAM capital intensity [3]. - **Memory Demand**: The pricing environment for DRAM and NAND is expected to remain robust, with Micron's pricing trends indicating a strong outlook into 1Q26 [4][18]. Price Objective Changes - Price objectives (POs) for several semicap companies have been raised due to a stronger demand outlook: - LRCX: $245 (up from $195) - KLAC: $1,650 (up from $1,450) - MU: $400 (up from $300) [6][9]. - The overall sentiment is that the semiconductor industry is poised for a significant upturn, with increased visibility and customer diversification [4]. Additional Insights - **NVIDIA's BlueField-4**: This platform is expected to drive memory demand, particularly for NAND, in the medium term [4]. - **Capex Trends**: Overall DRAM and NAND capex have been muted since 2023, indicating a cautious approach from major players [10][12]. - **Future Growth**: Leading-edge WFE is projected to grow at a 17% CAGR from CY25-28, with significant investments expected from TSMC and other major foundries to support AI and HPC demand [27]. Conclusion - The semiconductor capital equipment industry is entering a promising phase with strong growth projections driven by AI demand, leading-edge technology upgrades, and favorable pricing trends in memory. The raised price objectives reflect a bullish outlook for key players in the sector, indicating potential investment opportunities.

KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) is a leading figure in the semiconductor industry, offering essential process control and yield management solutions. The company's expertise in advanced inspection and metrology systems is pivotal for semiconductor manufacturing, positioning it as a key competitor against giants like Applied Materials and Lam Research.Stacy Rasgon from Bernstein sets a price target of $1,700 for KLAC, indicating a potential increase of 17.91%.The futures market shows an upward trend following ...

Bernstein initiated coverage on KLA Corp. (NASDAQ:KLAC) with an "Outperform" rating, indicating a positive outlook on the company's future performance.The stock market shows signs of recovery, with futures market trending upwards following the December Consumer Price Index report.KLA Corp. is highlighted among top Wall Street analyst research calls, with its stock price reaching a yearly high of $1,469.86.KLA Corp. (NASDAQ:KLAC), a leading entity in the semiconductor industry, is renowned for its cutting-ed ...