Kla Corp (NASDAQ: KLAC)

Sector: Technology Industry: Semiconductor Equipment & Materials CIK: 0000319201
Market Cap 190.42 Bn
P/B 34.84
P/E 41.78
P/S 14.94
ROIC (Qtr) 42.78
Div Yield % 0.51
Rev 1y % (Qtr) 7.16
Total Debt (Qtr) 5.89 Bn
Debt/Equity (Qtr) 1.08

About

KLA Corporation, commonly known as KLA, is a prominent player in the electronics industry, providing industry-leading equipment and services that drive innovation. The company operates in three main segments: Semiconductor Process Control, Specialty Semiconductor Process, and PCB and Component Inspection. KLA's offerings are designed to provide comprehensive solutions that assist customers in accelerating development and production ramp cycles, achieving higher and more stable product yields, and improving their overall profitability. KLA's primary...

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Price action

Investment thesis

Bull case

  • Strong operating cash flow of 4.77B provides robust 0.81x coverage of total debt 5.89B, indicating excellent debt servicing capability and financial flexibility.
  • Operating cash flow of 4.77B provides exceptional 16.68x coverage of interest expenses 285.76M, showing strong debt service capability.
  • Operating cash flow of 4.77B provides strong 16.69x coverage of stock compensation 285.60M, indicating sustainable incentive practices.
  • Robust free cash flow of 4.38B exceeds capital expenditure of 388.96M by 11.25x, indicating strong organic growth funding capability.
  • Strong operating cash flow of 4.77B provides 4.49x coverage of SG&A expenses 1.06B, showing efficient operational cost management.

Bear case

  • Operating cash flow of 4.77B barely covers its investment activities of (1.17B), with a coverage ratio of -4.08, indicating heavy reliance on external financing for growth which may not be sustainable in a tighter credit environment.
  • Operating cash flow of 4.77B provides thin coverage of dividend payments of (983.40M) with a -4.85 ratio, suggesting potential dividend sustainability issues if operational performance deteriorates.
  • Investment activities of (1.17B) provide weak support for R&D spending of 1.44B, which is -0.81x, suggesting potentially insufficient investment in innovation relative to other capital deployment.
  • Operating cash flow of 4.77B barely covers operating expenses of (167.29M) with a -28.49 ratio, suggesting thin operational efficiency margins and limited flexibility.
  • Free cash flow of 4.38B represents just -2732.45x of debt issuance (1.60M), suggesting concerning reliance on leverage rather than internal cash generation for growth.

Segments Breakdown of Revenue (2025)

Product and Service Breakdown of Revenue (2025)

Peer comparison

Companies in the Semiconductor Equipment & Materials
S.No. Ticker Company Market Cap P/E P/S Total Debt (Qtr)
1 ASML Asml Holding Nv 596.49 Bn 243.99 49.68 3.18 Bn
2 AMAT Applied Materials Inc /De 306.44 Bn 110.83 20.97 6.56 Bn
3 LRCX Lam Research Corp 292.93 Bn 47.14 14.25 4.48 Bn
4 KLAC Kla Corp 190.42 Bn 41.78 14.94 5.89 Bn
5 TER Teradyne, Inc 49.92 Bn 61.37 15.61 0.27 Bn
6 ENTG Entegris Inc 16.38 Bn 147.43 21.20 3.91 Bn
7 NVMI Nova Ltd. 13.55 Bn 55.28 15.88 0.88 Bn
8 ONTO Onto Innovation Inc. 10.25 Bn 58.57 10.23 0.00 Bn

Industry comparisons

Current Valuation Value Ind Avg Percentile
EV to Assets EV to Assets 11.62 3.78
EV to Cash from Ops. EV/CFO 40.78 31.10
EV to Debt EV to Debt 33.02 2,381.40
EV to EBIT EV/EBIT 35.22 33.45
EV to EBITDA EV/EBITDA 32.89 21.36
EV to Free Cash Flow [EV/FCF] EV/FCF 44.40 76.88
EV to Market Cap EV to Market Cap 1.02 0.93
EV to Revenue EV/Rev 15.25 57.80
Price to Book Value [P/B] P/B 34.84 9.83
Price to Earnings [P/E] P/E 41.78 39.76
Dividend Metrics Value Ind Avg Percentile
Dividend Coverage Ratio Div Coverage (Qtr) 4.63 0.91
Dividend Payout Ratio % Div Payout % (Qtr) 21.40 3.71
Dividend per Basic Share Div per Share (Qtr) 7.40 0.63
FCF Dividend Payout Ratio % FCF Div Payout % (Qtr) 22.19 8.75
Interest Coverage Int. cover (Qtr) 19.31 69.41
Growth Metrics Value Ind Avg Percentile
Capex Growth (1y) % Capex 1y % (Qtr) -36.43 -55.93
Cash and Equivalents Growth (1y) % Cash & Equiv 1y % (Qtr) 33.39 22.64
Dividend Growth (1y) % Div 1y % (Qtr) 22.31 6.33
EBIAT Growth (1y) % EBIAT 1y % (Qtr) 37.89 -204.64
EBITDA Growth (1y) % EBITDA 1y % (Qtr) 33.75 -87.31
EBIT Growth (1y) % EBIT 1y % (Qtr) 37.34 -107.43
EBT Growth (1y) % EBT 1y % (Qtr) 41.50 -121.11
EPS Growth (1y) % EPS 1y % (Qtr) 44.52 -283.91
FCF Growth (1y) % FCF 1y % (Qtr) 30.19 59.47
Gross Profit Growth (1y) % Gross Profit 1y % (Qtr) 21.22 43.54
Liquidity Ratios Value Ind Avg Percentile
Asset Utilization Ratio Asset Util Ratio (Qtr) 0.76 0.54
Cash Payout Ratio Cash Payout (Qtr) 0.19 0.05
Cash Ratio Cash Ratio (Qtr) 0.62 1.54
Current Ratio Curr Ratio (Qtr) 2.83 4.04
Debt to Equity Ratio Debt/Equity (Qtr) 1.08 0.29
Interest Cover Ratio Int Coverage (Qtr) 19.31 69.41
Times Interest Earned Times Interest Earned (Qtr) 19.31 69.41
Profitability Value Ind Avg Percentile
EBITDA Margin % EBITDA Margin % (Qtr) 46.40 -1,802.89
EBIT Margin % EBIT Margin % (Qtr) 43.30 -1,926.71
EBT Margin % EBT Margin % (Qtr) 41.06 -1,933.27
Gross Margin % Gross Margin % (Qtr) 61.60 22.64
Net Profit Margin % Net Margin % (Qtr) 35.80 -2,101.38