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KLA (KLAC) Stock Sinks As Market Gains: Here's Why

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KLA (KLAC - Free Report) closed the most recent trading day at $1,101.55, moving -3.31% from the previous trading session. This change lagged the S&P 500's 0.01% gain on the day. On the other hand, the Dow registered a gain of 0.51%, and the technology-centric Nasdaq decreased by 0.28%.

Heading into today, shares of the maker of equipment for manufacturing semiconductors had gained 30.46% over the past month, outpacing the Computer and Technology sector's gain of 10.49% and the S&P 500's gain of 4.83%.

Analysts and investors alike will be keeping a close eye on the performance of KLA in its upcoming earnings disclosure. The company's upcoming EPS is projected at $8.47, signifying a 15.55% increase compared to the same quarter of the previous year. In the meantime, our current consensus estimate forecasts the revenue to be $3.16 billion, indicating a 11.04% growth compared to the corresponding quarter of the prior year.

In terms of the entire fiscal year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates predict earnings of $34.55 per share and a revenue of $12.77 billion, indicating changes of +3.82% and +5.08%, respectively, from the former year.

It is also important to note the recent changes to analyst estimates for KLA. These revisions help to show the ever-changing nature of near-term business trends. With this in mind, we can consider positive estimate revisions a sign of optimism about the business outlook.

Our research reveals that these estimate alterations are directly linked with the stock price performance in the near future. To exploit this, we've formed the Zacks Rank, a quantitative model that includes these estimate changes and presents a viable rating system.

Ranging from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), the Zacks Rank system has a proven, outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks returning an average of +25% annually since 1988. Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.5% higher. As of now, KLA holds a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

With respect to valuation, KLA is currently being traded at a Forward P/E ratio of 32.98. This denotes a premium relative to the industry average Forward P/E of 20.39.

It's also important to note that KLAC currently trades at a PEG ratio of 3.42. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. The Electronics - Miscellaneous Products was holding an average PEG ratio of 1.86 at yesterday's closing price.

The Electronics - Miscellaneous Products industry is part of the Computer and Technology sector. Currently, this industry holds a Zacks Industry Rank of 48, positioning it in the top 20% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank evaluates the power of our distinct industry groups by determining the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks forming the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Remember to apply Zacks.com to follow these and more stock-moving metrics during the upcoming trading sessions.


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