BN · rank #13 · 2026-09-09
KLAC
NASDAQ · $246.91B (USD)
The exact numbers the algorithm saw.
| Composite score Z-score blend of the factors below; drives the rank. | 0.28 |
|---|---|
| Forward revenue growth Consensus forward revenue growth. | +18.0% |
| Forward net margin Consensus forward net margin. | +37.0% |
| Net margin TTM Trailing twelve month net margin. | +35.6% |
| Margin expansion Forward minus trailing net margin (percentage points). | +1.4% |
| Forward PEG Forward P/E to growth. Below 1 is cheap for the growth. | 1.77 |
| Debt / FCF Net debt relative to free cash flow. Lower is safer. | 1.63× |
| Analyst upside Spread between the consensus 12m target and the current price. | +23.7% |
| Last EPS surprise Most recent reported EPS versus consensus. | +5% |
| Market cap (USD) | $246.91B |
The AI research card
Independent qualitative review of each pick before the order is placed. On the rare day the research service is unavailable, the paper book trades on the quant ranking alone and no card appears here.
Summary
KLA Corporation designs and sells process control, metrology, and inspection systems that semiconductor fabs depend on to achieve yield targets at advanced nodes, including AI GPU and HBM packaging lines.
Rationale
KLA's single-source bottleneck position in yield-management tooling at cutting-edge logic, memory, and advanced packaging nodes directly maps to the bottleneck_solvers strategy, with 18% forward revenue growth, ~37% net margins, and a $7B buyback authorization confirming durable cash generation rather than sentiment-driven participation.
Material risks
- 1Export control tightening on advanced process control tools to China could materially shrink the addressable installed base and compress multi-quarter order visibility, the primary source of KLA's revenue predictability and pricing power.
- 2Customer concentration among a handful of leading foundry, logic, and memory fabs means a coordinated capex pause or node-transition delay at TSMC, Samsung, or SK Hynix would disproportionately hit KLA's near-term revenue ramp.
AI verdict council
Each pick is reviewed independently by 3 models before any order. 3 of 3 voted to proceed.