KLA (KLAC)
Market Price (12/18/2025): $1172.89 | Market Cap: $154.5 BilSector: Information Technology | Industry: Semiconductor Materials & Equipment
KLA (KLAC)
Market Price (12/18/2025): $1172.89Market Cap: $154.5 BilSector: Information TechnologyIndustry: Semiconductor Materials & Equipment
Investment Highlights
Why It Matters
Which of these 2 stories sounds closer for this stock?
1. Generates cash flow
The stock generated 4% or more of the share price (called cash flow yield), and shows moderate 10-15% or more growth.
2. Riding a trend
Think Tesla during the pandemic of 2020 when EVs were riding a cultural high, or Nvidia in the current AI boom, or even Figma. These companies don’t have enough yield, or, enough growth, or both - however - they are riding a trend. They have momentum. These can be more volatile - they don’t have the floor of strong cash flow
| Attractive operating marginsOp Mgn LTMOperating Margin = Operating Income / Revenue Reflects profitability before taxes and before impact of capital structure (interest payments). is 42% | Key risksKLAC key risks include [1] its substantial revenue from China being threatened by U.S. Show more. |
| Attractive cash flow generationCFO/Rev LTMCash Flow from Operations / Revenue (Sales), Last Twelve Months (LTM) is 34%, FCF/Rev LTMFree Cash Flow / Revenue (Sales), Last Twelve Months (LTM) is 31%, CFO LTM is 4.2 Bil, FCF LTM is 3.9 Bil | |
| Low stock price volatilityVol 12M is 43% | |
| Megatrend and thematic driversMegatrends include Artificial Intelligence, Automation & Robotics, Advanced Materials, and 5G & Advanced Connectivity. Show more. |
| Attractive operating marginsOp Mgn LTMOperating Margin = Operating Income / Revenue Reflects profitability before taxes and before impact of capital structure (interest payments). is 42% |
| Attractive cash flow generationCFO/Rev LTMCash Flow from Operations / Revenue (Sales), Last Twelve Months (LTM) is 34%, FCF/Rev LTMFree Cash Flow / Revenue (Sales), Last Twelve Months (LTM) is 31%, CFO LTM is 4.2 Bil, FCF LTM is 3.9 Bil |
| Low stock price volatilityVol 12M is 43% |
| Megatrend and thematic driversMegatrends include Artificial Intelligence, Automation & Robotics, Advanced Materials, and 5G & Advanced Connectivity. Show more. |
| Key risksKLAC key risks include [1] its substantial revenue from China being threatened by U.S. Show more. |
Valuation, Metrics & Events
KLAC Stock
Why The Stock Moved
Qualitative Assessment
AI Generated Analysis | Feedback
For the approximate time period from August 31, 2025, to December 18, 2025, KLA Corporation (KLAC) experienced a significant stock movement, likely influenced by the following key factors:
1. Strong Fiscal Q4 2025 and Q1 2026 Financial Results.
KLA reported strong financial and operating results for its fiscal year 2025 fourth quarter (ending June 30, 2025) on July 31, 2025, with GAAP net income of $1.20 billion and diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $9.06 on total revenues of $3.175 billion, at the upper end of guidance. This was followed by robust Fiscal 2026 First Quarter (ending September 30, 2025) results, announced on October 29, 2025, where the company surpassed analyst expectations with EPS of $8.81 and revenue of $3.21 billion. The company also provided a positive outlook, anticipating continued sequential quarterly growth in revenue and strong performance in calendar year 2025.
2. Surging Demand in AI and Advanced Packaging Sectors.
A significant driver for KLA's performance was the escalating demand for its process control and process-enabling solutions, particularly in supporting the Artificial Intelligence (AI) infrastructure buildout. The company highlighted increasing investments in leading-edge logic, high-bandwidth memory (HBM), and advanced packaging, with advanced packaging systems-related revenue expected to exceed $925 million in calendar 2025, an increase from previous estimates. This growth is set against a backdrop of a booming semiconductor capital equipment market, propelled by AI, automotive, and data center applications.
Stock Movement Drivers
Return vs. Risk
Price Returns Compared
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | Total [1] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Returns | |||||||
| KLAC Return | 48% | 68% | -11% | 56% | 9% | 96% | 638% |
| Peers Return | 39% | 66% | -39% | 74% | -2% | 49% | 257% |
| S&P 500 Return | 16% | 27% | -19% | 24% | 23% | 14% | 108% |
Monthly Win Rates [3] | |||||||
| KLAC Win Rate | 67% | 75% | 42% | 67% | 42% | 58% | |
| Peers Win Rate | 60% | 68% | 33% | 65% | 48% | 62% | |
| S&P 500 Win Rate | 58% | 75% | 42% | 67% | 75% | 73% | |
Max Drawdowns [4] | |||||||
| KLAC Max Drawdown | -36% | 0% | -38% | -5% | -6% | -8% | |
| Peers Max Drawdown | -40% | -1% | -50% | -6% | -10% | -33% | |
| S&P 500 Max Drawdown | -31% | -1% | -25% | -1% | -2% | -15% | |
[1] Cumulative total returns since the beginning of 2020
[2] Peers: AMAT, LRCX, ONTO, VECO, MKSI. See KLAC Returns vs. Peers.
[3] Win Rate = % of calendar months in which monthly returns were positive
[4] Max drawdown represents maximum peak-to-trough decline within a year
[5] 2025 data is for the year up to 12/17/2025 (YTD)
How Low Can It Go
| Event | KLAC | S&P 500 |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 Inflation Shock | ||
| % Loss | -40.8% | -25.4% |
| % Gain to Breakeven | 69.1% | 34.1% |
| Time to Breakeven | 221 days | 464 days |
| 2020 Covid Pandemic | ||
| % Loss | -37.5% | -33.9% |
| % Gain to Breakeven | 60.1% | 51.3% |
| Time to Breakeven | 75 days | 148 days |
| 2018 Correction | ||
| % Loss | -33.6% | -19.8% |
| % Gain to Breakeven | 50.7% | 24.7% |
| Time to Breakeven | 87 days | 120 days |
| 2008 Global Financial Crisis | ||
| % Loss | -75.6% | -56.8% |
| % Gain to Breakeven | 309.8% | 131.3% |
| Time to Breakeven | 1,790 days | 1,480 days |
Compare to LRCX, AMAT, ADI, Q, KLAC
In The Past
KLA's stock fell -40.8% during the 2022 Inflation Shock from a high on 1/14/2022. A -40.8% loss requires a 69.1% gain to breakeven.
Preserve Wealth
Limiting losses and compounding gains is essential to preserving wealth over time.
Asset Allocation
Actively managed asset allocation strategies protect wealth. Learn more.
Latest Trefis Analyses
| Title | Topic | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| DASHBOARDS | |||
| KLA Earnings Notes | |||
| Why KLA Stock Jumped 90%? | |||
| What Is Happening With KLA Stock? | |||
| KLA Stock May Still Have Room to Run | Actionable | ||
| How KLA Stock Gained 80% | |||
| How KLA Stock Gained 80% | |||
| Should You Buy KLA Stock? | Buy or Fear | ||
| Day 6 of Gains Streak for KLA Stock with 17% Return (vs. 84% YTD) [10/20/2025] | Notification | ||
| Day 5 of Gains Streak for KLA Stock with 13% Return (vs. 77% YTD) [10/17/2025] | Notification | ||
| With KLA Stock Surging, Have You Considered The Downside? | Return | ||
| ARTICLES | |||
| What Is Happening With KLA Stock? | November 27th, 2025 | ||
| KLA Stock May Still Have Room to Run | November 21st, 2025 | ||
| How KLA Stock Gained 80% | November 11th, 2025 | ||
| How KLA Stock Gained 80% | October 25th, 2025 | ||
| KLA Stock Surged 80%, Here’s Why | October 25th, 2025 |
Trade Ideas
Select past ideas related to KLAC. For more, see Trefis Trade Ideas.
| Date | Ticker | Company | Category | Trade Strategy | 6M Fwd Rtn | 12M Fwd Rtn | 12M Max DD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11302025 | ENPH | Enphase Energy | Dip Buy | DB | CFO/Rev | Low D/EDip Buy with High Cash Flow MarginsBuying dips for companies with significant cash flows from operations and reasonable debt / market cap | 10.4% | 10.4% | -0.9% |
| 11262025 | PD | PagerDuty | Dip Buy | DB | FCF Yield | Low D/EDip Buy with High Free Cash Flow YieldBuying dips for companies with significant free cash flow yield (FCF / Market Cap) and reasonable debt / market cap | 10.7% | 10.7% | 0.0% |
| 11212025 | CRM | Salesforce | Dip Buy | DB | FCFY OPMDip Buy with High FCF Yield and High MarginBuying dips for companies with high FCF yield and meaningfully high operating margin | 12.2% | 12.2% | -0.1% |
| 11212025 | HUBS | HubSpot | Dip Buy | DB | CFO/Rev | Low D/EDip Buy with High Cash Flow MarginsBuying dips for companies with significant cash flows from operations and reasonable debt / market cap | 4.2% | 4.2% | 0.0% |
| 11212025 | FIVN | Five9 | Dip Buy | DB | FCF Yield | Low D/EDip Buy with High Free Cash Flow YieldBuying dips for companies with significant free cash flow yield (FCF / Market Cap) and reasonable debt / market cap | 13.6% | 13.6% | 0.0% |
| 11212025 | KLAC | KLA | Quality | Q | Momentum | UpsideQuality Stocks with Momentum and UpsideBuying quality stocks with strong momentum but still having room to run | 11.5% | 11.5% | 0.0% |
| 09302022 | KLAC | KLA | Dip Buy | DB | FCFY OPMDip Buy with High FCF Yield and High MarginBuying dips for companies with high FCF yield and meaningfully high operating margin | 32.8% | 53.5% | -13.0% |
| Date | Ticker | Company | Category | Trade Strategy | 6M Fwd Rtn | 12M Fwd Rtn | 12M Max DD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11302025 | ENPH | Enphase Energy | Dip Buy | DB | CFO/Rev | Low D/EDip Buy with High Cash Flow MarginsBuying dips for companies with significant cash flows from operations and reasonable debt / market cap | 10.4% | 10.4% | -0.9% |
| 11262025 | PD | PagerDuty | Dip Buy | DB | FCF Yield | Low D/EDip Buy with High Free Cash Flow YieldBuying dips for companies with significant free cash flow yield (FCF / Market Cap) and reasonable debt / market cap | 10.7% | 10.7% | 0.0% |
| 11212025 | CRM | Salesforce | Dip Buy | DB | FCFY OPMDip Buy with High FCF Yield and High MarginBuying dips for companies with high FCF yield and meaningfully high operating margin | 12.2% | 12.2% | -0.1% |
| 11212025 | HUBS | HubSpot | Dip Buy | DB | CFO/Rev | Low D/EDip Buy with High Cash Flow MarginsBuying dips for companies with significant cash flows from operations and reasonable debt / market cap | 4.2% | 4.2% | 0.0% |
| 11212025 | FIVN | Five9 | Dip Buy | DB | FCF Yield | Low D/EDip Buy with High Free Cash Flow YieldBuying dips for companies with significant free cash flow yield (FCF / Market Cap) and reasonable debt / market cap | 13.6% | 13.6% | 0.0% |
| 11212025 | KLAC | KLA | Quality | Q | Momentum | UpsideQuality Stocks with Momentum and UpsideBuying quality stocks with strong momentum but still having room to run | 11.5% | 11.5% | 0.0% |
| 09302022 | KLAC | KLA | Dip Buy | DB | FCFY OPMDip Buy with High FCF Yield and High MarginBuying dips for companies with high FCF yield and meaningfully high operating margin | 32.8% | 53.5% | -13.0% |
Research & Analysis
Invest in Strategies
Wealth Management
Peer Comparisons for KLA
| Peers to compare with: |
Financials
| Median | |
|---|---|
| Name | |
| Mkt Price | 151.84 |
| Mkt Cap | 82.2 |
| Rev LTM | 8,178 |
| Op Inc LTM | 2,892 |
| FCF LTM | 2,201 |
| FCF 3Y Avg | 1,903 |
| CFO LTM | 2,464 |
| CFO 3Y Avg | 2,124 |
Growth & Margins
| Median | |
|---|---|
| Name | |
| Rev Chg LTM | 7.3% |
| Rev Chg 3Y Avg | 3.6% |
| Rev Chg Q | 3.4% |
| QoQ Delta Rev Chg LTM | 0.8% |
| Op Mgn LTM | 23.3% |
| Op Mgn 3Y Avg | 23.4% |
| QoQ Delta Op Mgn LTM | -0.2% |
| CFO/Rev LTM | 28.5% |
| CFO/Rev 3Y Avg | 27.9% |
| FCF/Rev LTM | 23.1% |
| FCF/Rev 3Y Avg | 23.5% |
Valuation
| Median | |
|---|---|
| Name | |
| Mkt Cap | 82.2 |
| P/S | 6.0 |
| P/EBIT | 27.5 |
| P/E | 31.7 |
| P/CFO | 23.5 |
| Total Yield | 3.9% |
| Dividend Yield | 0.7% |
| FCF Yield 3Y Avg | 3.6% |
| D/E | 0.0 |
| Net D/E | -0.0 |
Returns
| Median | |
|---|---|
| Name | |
| 1M Rtn | 5.1% |
| 3M Rtn | 25.9% |
| 6M Rtn | 48.3% |
| 12M Rtn | 41.8% |
| 3Y Rtn | 125.4% |
| 1M Excs Rtn | 4.4% |
| 3M Excs Rtn | 15.8% |
| 6M Excs Rtn | 35.9% |
| 12M Excs Rtn | 29.6% |
| 3Y Excs Rtn | 43.3% |
Comparison Analyses
Segment Financials
Revenue by Segment
| $ Mil | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semiconductor Process Control | 8,734 | 9,324 | 7,925 | 5,735 | 4,745 |
| Printed Circuit Boards (PCB) and Component Inspection | 552 | 632 | 832 | 813 | 727 |
| Specialty Semiconductor Process | 529 | 543 | 457 | 369 | 330 |
| Corporate allocations and effects of changes in foreign currency exchange rates | -3 | -3 | -2 | 1 | 0 |
| Other | 1 | 4 | |||
| Total | 9,812 | 10,496 | 9,212 | 6,919 | 5,806 |
Returns Analyses
Earnings Returns History
Expand for More| Forward Returns | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Earnings Date | 1D Returns | 5D Returns | 21D Returns |
| 10/29/2025 | -1.7% | -0.7% | -6.2% |
| 7/31/2025 | 0.9% | 3.8% | -0.6% |
| 4/30/2025 | -3.8% | -1.2% | 8.0% |
| 1/30/2025 | -0.6% | 2.6% | -6.7% |
| 10/30/2024 | -3.7% | -3.2% | -6.2% |
| 7/24/2024 | 0.9% | 8.9% | 5.8% |
| 4/25/2024 | 4.9% | 1.4% | 16.0% |
| 1/25/2024 | -6.6% | -6.6% | 6.8% |
| ... | |||
| SUMMARY STATS | |||
| # Positive | 14 | 16 | 15 |
| # Negative | 10 | 8 | 9 |
| Median Positive | 4.0% | 4.5% | 11.9% |
| Median Negative | -3.7% | -3.2% | -6.2% |
| Max Positive | 9.0% | 15.7% | 33.9% |
| Max Negative | -6.9% | -6.6% | -11.9% |
SEC Filings
Expand for More| Report Date | Filing Date | Filing |
|---|---|---|
| 9302025 | 10312025 | 10-Q 9/30/2025 |
| 6302025 | 8082025 | 10-K 6/30/2025 |
| 3312025 | 5012025 | 10-Q 3/31/2025 |
| 12312024 | 1312025 | 10-Q 12/31/2024 |
| 9302024 | 10312024 | 10-Q 9/30/2024 |
| 6302024 | 8052024 | 10-K 6/30/2024 |
| 3312024 | 4262024 | 10-Q 3/31/2024 |
| 12312023 | 1262024 | 10-Q 12/31/2023 |
| 9302023 | 10272023 | 10-Q 9/30/2023 |
| 6302023 | 8042023 | 10-K 6/30/2023 |
| 3312023 | 4282023 | 10-Q 3/31/2023 |
| 12312022 | 1272023 | 10-Q 12/31/2022 |
| 9302022 | 10282022 | 10-Q 9/30/2022 |
| 6302022 | 8052022 | 10-K 6/30/2022 |
| 3312022 | 4292022 | 10-Q 3/31/2022 |
| 12312021 | 1282022 | 10-Q 12/31/2021 |
External Quote Links
| Y Finance | Barrons |
| TradingView | Morningstar |
| SeekingAlpha | ValueLine |
| Motley Fool | Robinhood |
| CNBC | Etrade |
| MarketWatch | Unusual Whales |
| YCharts | Perplexity Finance |
| FinViz |