Core Viewpoint - KLA Corporation (NASDAQ: KLAC) reported strong financial results for FY26Q2 (CY25Q4), with revenue of $3.297 billion, a year-over-year increase of 7.15% and a quarter-over-quarter increase of 2.71%, indicating a solid performance in the semiconductor process control market [2][11]. Financial Performance - The company achieved a record annual revenue of $12.745 billion for 2025, representing a 17% growth compared to 2024, with 70% of this growth driven by investments in advanced logic, high bandwidth memory (HBM), and DRAM [2][12]. - The gross margin for Q4 was 62.6%, up 0.9 percentage points year-over-year and 0.1 percentage points quarter-over-quarter, exceeding the guidance midpoint of 62% [2][11]. - Free cash flow reached $4.4 billion for 2025, a 30% increase year-over-year, with $3 billion returned to shareholders through dividends and stock buybacks [11]. Segment Performance - Semiconductor process control revenue was $3.005 billion in Q4, up 9.07% year-over-year and 3.62% quarter-over-quarter, accounting for 91.1% of total revenue [3][8]. - Revenue from specialty semiconductor process decreased by 12.5% year-over-year but increased by 16.67% quarter-over-quarter, contributing 4.2% to total revenue [3][8]. - PCB and component inspection revenue was $152 million, down 5.59% year-over-year and down 20% quarter-over-quarter, representing 4.6% of total revenue [3][8]. Product Breakdown - Wafer inspection revenue was $1.573 billion, a slight increase of 1% year-over-year and 2% quarter-over-quarter, making up 47.7% of total revenue [9]. - Service revenue reached $786 million, up 18% year-over-year and 6% quarter-over-quarter, contributing 24% to total revenue [9]. - Revenue from advanced packaging grew significantly, with total system revenue for 2025 estimated at $950 million, reflecting over 70% year-over-year growth [12]. Market Outlook - For Q1 2026, KLA expects revenue of $3.35 billion, with a gross margin guidance of 60.75%-62.75%, indicating a slight decrease compared to the previous year due to rising DRAM costs [4][15]. - The WFE market is projected to grow at a high single-digit to low double-digit percentage, reaching approximately $120 billion, with the Chinese market expected to see moderate growth [5][14]. - The advanced packaging market is anticipated to grow to around $12 billion, with a similar growth rate, contributing to an overall market size of approximately $135 billion [5][14]. Regional Performance - Revenue from mainland China was $989 million, down 10.7% year-over-year and 21% quarter-over-quarter, accounting for 30% of total revenue [3][9]. - Taiwan's revenue was $857 million, down 3.9% year-over-year but up 6.8% quarter-over-quarter, representing 26% of total revenue [3][9]. - South Korea saw a revenue increase of 25% year-over-year and 59.8% quarter-over-quarter, contributing 14% to total revenue [3][9].