Not a good buy right now for an impatient buyer: price action is still in a sharp post-earnings downtrend with bearish momentum (MACD worsening) and weak near-term pattern stats (next week skew negative).
Options positioning shows heavier put open interest (hedging/defensive stance) and elevated IV percentile, consistent with cautious sentiment rather than “dip-buying” conviction.
While fundamentals and long-term analyst targets remain supportive, near-term catalysts skew negative (guidance/WFE outlook disappointment, heavy insider + hedge fund selling), so the risk of further drawdown outweighs the immediate upside for a fast entry.
Technical Analysis
Trend/Momentum: Bearish. MACD histogram at -32.759 and negatively expanding signals downside momentum is still accelerating rather than stabilizing.
RSI: RSI(6)=26.107 indicates oversold conditions; this can produce bounces, but oversold alone is not a reliable buy trigger when MACD is still deteriorating.
Moving averages: Converging MAs suggests the market is trying to find a new equilibrium, but no clear reversal signal is indicated.
Key levels: Pre-market ~1304 is below S1 (1336.329), implying prior support has broken; next notable support is S2 (1239.968). Resistance overhead starts at the pivot (1492.303) then R1 (1648.278).
Statistical near-term bias (pattern analogs): ~50% chance of -0.95% next day and -2.26% next week; modest +1.77% next month suggests potential longer-horizon recovery, not an immediate entry edge.
Flow today: Volume put/call ratio 0.93 is closer to balanced but still slightly put-tilted.
Volatility: IV percentile 84.46 indicates elevated implied volatility versus its own history (options priced for larger moves), consistent with uncertainty after the earnings/guidance reaction.
Activity: Today’s volume (1869) is below the 5D avg (2060) but above the 10D avg (1679), suggesting interest remains, though not a peak capitulation signal.
Technical Summary
Sell
5
Buy
8
Positive Catalysts
with solid YoY revenue growth and much stronger EPS/net income growth.
Neutral/Negative Catalysts
reinforces cautious sentiment.
Financial Performance
Latest quarter: 2026/Q2.
Revenue: $3.30B, +7.16% YoY (steady growth).
Net income: $1.15B, +38.95% YoY (strong profitability growth).
Gross margin: 61.45%, down 0.47 pts YoY (minor compression; not alarming, but not expanding either).
Growth
Profitability
Efficiency
Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends
Trend: Broad wave of price-target raises on 2026-01-30 following results, but with commentary that near-term expectations were too high and guidance was perceived as slightly disappointing.
Bull case (pros): Multiple Overweight/Buy/Outperform stances (Cantor, Morgan Stanley, Citi, Oppenheimer, Barclays, Stifel, Bernstein) cite a multi-year WFE upcycle, share gains, and potential upside revisions as the year progresses.
Bear/base case (cons): Neutral/Hold/Sector Perform views (Goldman Neutral, Deutsche Hold, RBC Sector Perform) point to valuation/limited near-term memory exposure and that KLA’s WFE growth outlook didn’t clear a high investor bar.
Politicians/Congress: No recent congress trading data available (no notable political trading catalyst indicated).
Wall Street analysts forecast KLAC stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for KLAC is 1393 USD with a low forecast of 1214 USD and a high forecast of 1750 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
20 Analyst Rating
Wall Street analysts forecast KLAC stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for KLAC is 1393 USD with a low forecast of 1214 USD and a high forecast of 1750 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
14 Buy
6 Hold
0 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 1331.030
Low
1214
Averages
1393
High
1750
Current: 1331.030
Low
1214
Averages
1393
High
1750
Cantor Fitzgerald
Overweight
maintain
AI Analysis
2026-01-30
Reason
Cantor Fitzgerald
Price Target
AI Analysis
2026-01-30
maintain
Overweight
Reason
Cantor Fitzgerald raised the firm's price target on KLA Corp. (KLAC) to $1,850 from $1,750 and keeps an Overweight rating on the shares. KLA issued a more conservative WFE outlook than Lam Research (LRCX), citing timing effects, lithography-linked spending, and lower NAND and DRAM exposure, though this appears partly driven by cautious bar-setting rather than a weaker cycle, the analyst tells investors in a research note. Despite near-term investor concerns, the broader view remains a multi-year WFE upcycle with scope for upward revisions to KLA's guidance and earnings as the year progresses, the firm says.
Goldman Sachs
Neutral
maintain
2026-01-30
Reason
Goldman Sachs
Price Target
2026-01-30
maintain
Neutral
Reason
Goldman Sachs raised the firm's price target on KLA Corp. to $1,450 from $1,280 and keeps a Neutral rating on the shares. KLA is expected to trade lower after delivering results and guidance in line with Street expectations but below elevated investor hopes, fueled by bullish WFE and memory commentary from peers, the analyst tells investors in a research note. While the company remains well-positioned with a strong product portfolio and long-term share-gain potential, limited near-term DRAM exposure and full valuation support the firm's Neutral stance, Goldman says.
Unlock Full Analyst Thesis, Get the complete breakdown of rating reason for KLAC