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KLA Corp.: Q4 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q4 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 28 July 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 6 new. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Revenue above guidance midpoint: Total revenues were $3,658 million, above the guidance midpoint, against $3,175 million a year earlier and $3,415 million in the March quarter. Source
  • EPS at upper end of range: GAAP diluted EPS was $1.04 and non-GAAP diluted EPS $1.05, against $0.91 and $0.94 a year earlier and $0.91 and $0.94 in the March quarter. Source
  • Process control led segment growth: Semiconductor Process Control revenue was $3,256.8 million, against $2,877.6 million a year earlier and $3,083.9 million in March; fiscal 2026 revenue was $12,244.7 million. Source
  • Deferred system revenue rose: Deferred system revenue was $932.9 million at June 30, 2026, against $620.8 million at March 31 and $816.8 million a year earlier. Source
  • Free cash flow fell in quarter: Free cash flow was $817.1 million, against $1,064.6 million a year earlier; fiscal 2026 free cash flow was $3.77 billion, against $3.75 billion. Source
  • Capital returns rose to $876 million: Capital returns were $876.3 million in the June quarter, against $679.7 million a year earlier; fiscal 2026 capital returns were $3.35 billion, against $3.05 billion. Source

“KLA’s June quarter results reinforce that the trends driving our growth are strengthening, and we see momentum across our business accelerating in the second half of calendar 2026 and continuing through 2027”

Rick Wallace, president and CEO of KLA Corporation

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Total revenues SourceFirst quarter of fiscal 2027 (ending September 2026)$4.0 billion +/- $200 millionNew
GAAP gross margin SourceFirst quarter of fiscal 2027 (ending September 2026)61.6% +/- 1.0%New
Non-GAAP gross margin SourceFirst quarter of fiscal 2027 (ending September 2026)62.5% +/- 1.0%New
GAAP diluted EPS SourceFirst quarter of fiscal 2027 (ending September 2026)$1.14 +/- $0.10New
Non-GAAP diluted EPS SourceFirst quarter of fiscal 2027 (ending September 2026)$1.16 +/- $0.10New
Diluted share count SourceFirst quarter of fiscal 2027 (ending September 2026)1,312 million sharesNew

What changed from last quarter

  • New guidance: First guidance issued for the September quarter of fiscal 2027, covering revenue, gross margins, diluted EPS and share count. Source
  • New: Ten-for-one stock split of common stock, effective after the market close on June 11, 2026, with a proportional increase in authorized common shares. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Revenue above guidance midpoint: Total revenues were $3,658 million, above the guidance midpoint, against $3,175 million a year earlier and $3,415 million in the March quarter. Source
  • EPS at upper end of range: GAAP diluted EPS was $1.04 and non-GAAP diluted EPS $1.05, against $0.91 and $0.94 a year earlier and $0.91 and $0.94 in the March quarter. Source
  • Net income higher than a year ago: GAAP net income was $1,363 million, against $1,203 million a year earlier and $1,201 million in the March quarter; non-GAAP net income was $1,386 million. Source
  • Full-year revenue and EPS rose: Fiscal 2026 revenue was $13.58 billion, against $12.16 billion, and GAAP diluted EPS $3.66, against $3.04; non-GAAP diluted EPS was $3.76, against $3.33. Source

Segments and revenue mix

  • Process control led segment growth: Semiconductor Process Control revenue was $3,256.8 million, against $2,877.6 million a year earlier and $3,083.9 million in March; fiscal 2026 revenue was $12,244.7 million. Source
  • Product and service revenue both rose: Product revenue was $2,837.2 million, against $2,472.2 million a year earlier; service revenue was $820.4 million, against $702.6 million. Fiscal 2026 service revenue was $3,125.9 million. Source

“KLA remains uniquely positioned on the critical path of AI infrastructure expansion, where the increasing number and sophistication of leading-edge designs across foundry/logic and the rising complexity and performance specifications in memory are driving greater demand for process control.”

Rick Wallace, president and CEO of KLA Corporation

Costs, margins and tax

  • Cost of revenues rose with sales: Costs of revenues were $1,413.1 million, against $1,207.3 million a year earlier; fiscal 2026 costs of revenues were $5,255.1 million, against $4,751.9 million. Source
  • Research and development spending rose: Research and development was $399.0 million, against $353.0 million a year earlier; selling, general and administrative expense was $291.5 million, against $262.7 million. Source
  • Acquisition charges lower; discrete release: Acquisition-related charges were $33.1 million, against $50.7 million a year earlier and $47.0 million in March; the quarter also had an $11.6 million discrete interest release. Source
  • Tax provision rose year on year: The provision for income taxes was $186.3 million, against $126.0 million a year earlier; fiscal 2026 provision was $775.2 million, against $582.8 million. Source

Order book and working capital

  • Deferred system revenue rose: Deferred system revenue was $932.9 million at June 30, 2026, against $620.8 million at March 31 and $816.8 million a year earlier. Source
  • Receivables and inventories increased: Accounts receivable were $2,889.2 million, against $2,304.5 million at March 31 and $2,263.9 million a year earlier; inventories were $3,648.5 million, against $3,437.0 million in March. Source
  • Accounts payable rose: Accounts payable was $623.7 million, against $515.0 million at March 31 and $458.5 million a year earlier. Source

Cash flow and cash position

  • Free cash flow fell in quarter: Free cash flow was $817.1 million, against $1,064.6 million a year earlier; fiscal 2026 free cash flow was $3.77 billion, against $3.75 billion. Source
  • Operating cash flow lower in quarter: Operating cash flow was $906.4 million, against $1,165.0 million; fiscal 2026 operating cash flow was $4.14 billion, against $4.08 billion. Source
  • Capital spending higher for the year: Capital expenditures were $89.3 million, against $100.4 million a year earlier; fiscal 2026 capital expenditures were $375.9 million, against $335.3 million. Source
  • Cash and securities at June 30: Cash and cash equivalents were $1,649.8 million and marketable securities $3,252.6 million at June 30, 2026; a year earlier cash was $2,078.9 million. Long-term debt was $5,887.4 million. Source

Capital returns to shareholders

  • Capital returns rose to $876 million: Capital returns were $876.3 million in the June quarter, against $679.7 million a year earlier; fiscal 2026 capital returns were $3.35 billion, against $3.05 billion. Source
  • Dividends paid rose year on year: Dividends paid were $305.3 million in the quarter, against $254.0 million, and $1,057.8 million for fiscal 2026, against $904.6 million. Source
  • Buybacks rose year on year: Common stock repurchases were $571.0 million in the quarter, against $425.7 million, and $2,289.8 million for fiscal 2026, against $2,149.9 million. Source
  • Diluted share count lower: Diluted shares used for per-share figures were 1,314,986 thousand in June, 1,317,504 thousand in March and 1,327,341 thousand a year earlier. Source

Non-GAAP and tax items

  • Acquisition amortization excluded from non-GAAP: Non-GAAP measures exclude amortization of intangibles from past acquisitions; management said that amortization will recur until those intangibles are fully amortized. Source
  • New tax legislation drove discrete items: Fiscal 2026 discrete tax items include a deferred tax liability for withholding taxes on future remittances; the June quarter discrete items were $6.8 million. Source
  • No restructuring charges this quarter: No restructuring, severance or other charges were recorded in the June quarter or fiscal 2026, against $2.1 million in the June 2025 quarter and $7.1 million for fiscal 2025. Source

Coming up, as management said on 28 July 2026

  • Guidance assumptions in investor materials: Management pointed to a published Letter to Shareholders, Earnings Slide Presentation and Earnings Infographic for the assumptions behind the guidance; these are not incorporated into the release. Source

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.