Dated end-of-day edition
JW Intelligence Report

KLA Corp / KLAC

StockTechnologySemiconductors
JW Rank51.7/ 100
Official close$174.51-1.03 (-0.59%)
Bid$174.24
Ask$174.50
Previous close$175.54
ATR (14)5.47%
RSI (14)35.8
Volume3.60M
Model reference$174.50
Upside scenario$185.00
Risk reference$168.00
Decision summary

KLAC Option Market Implies Balanced Sentiment

BalancedHigh confidence

The KLAC option market displays a balanced outlook, with neither strong bullish nor bearish signals. The implied volatility is elevated at 51.16%, reflecting uncertainty surrounding the stock's future direction. The term structure exhibits backwardation, suggesting that near-term options are more expensive than longer-dated options. While recent earnings beat expectations, the stock has pulled back due to high valuations and concerns about cyclical risks.

Wheel contextKLAC's option market presents a balanced view with elevated implied volatility and backwardated term structure.
Dated supporting context

JW AI outlook

Neutral

Short-term scenario

Cautious dip-buy/wait for bounce confirmation from oversold RSI; high uncertainty from recent 4-13% weekly/monthly declines, sector weakness, and stretched valuation. Not a high-conviction 1-3 week trade.

Three-month outlook

Neutral-to-moderately bullish if AI infrastructure and foundry/logic capex hold (management sees H2 2026 +20% and 2027 growth; analysts ~$224 target implies ~28% upside). High uncertainty from rich 48x trailing PE, China/export/tariff risks, potential cyclical slowdown, and post-earnings disappointment. Possible range $160-210; recovery toward $200+ possible on oversold bounce but volatility likely.


Market sentiment context

Mixed-to-cautious short-term amid August semiconductor pullback and valuation concerns (insiders sold near $199); longer-term bullish on deep process-control moat (70-80% patterned inspection share), AI/HBM/advanced packaging demand, and strong fundamentals. Some posts highlight temporary weakness vs. peers; promotional/spam accounts mixed in. Overall: wait-and-see on dip-buying vs. cyclical/valuation risks.

Observed market data

Price and technical structure

Dated end-of-day indicator set
Trend reference levels11 observations
20D SMA$191.76
50D SMA$211.99
200D SMA$170.32
9D EMA$183.06
21D EMA$190.48
20D MVWAP$192.86
YTD VWAP$187.94
Daily reference VWAP$175.74
Price vs 20D SMA-8.51%
Price vs 50D SMA-17.24%
Price vs 200D SMA3.01%
Momentum kinematics10 observations
RSI (7)24.39
RSI (14)35.81
RSI (21)40.37
Stochastic K8.11
Stochastic D13.45
MACD line-7.84
MACD histogram-6.90
ADX (14)18.99
MACD acceleration-0.30
RSI velocity-1.53
Volatility and price boundaries11 observations
ATR (14)-0.29
ATR (14) %5.47%
Bollinger upper$212.34
Bollinger middle$191.76
Bollinger lower$171.19
Bollinger position0.10%
Volatility environmentHigh
20D realized volatility47.43%
Observed range position4.00%
5D true high$186.78
5D true low$174.17
Participation and institutional flow7 observations
Volume3.60M
20D average volume5.00M
Volume vs 20D average0.72x
20D SMA velocity-0.19
50D SMA velocity-1.34
Institutional flow0.34
ATR velocity-0.29
Available cached indicators

Detailed decision indicators

Dated authorized values
Market overview7 observations
Price$174.51
DateAug 31, 2026
Volume3.60M
Vwap D$175.74
Mvwap 20$192.86
Change-1.03
Change Percentage 0.59%
Trend structure6 observations
Trend SignalBullish Recovery
Sma 20$191.76
Sma 50$211.99
Sma 200$170.32
Ema 9$183.06
Ema 21$190.48
Momentum structure9 observations
Rsi 724.39
Rsi 1435.81
Rsi 2140.37
Rsi SignalNeutral
Stoch K8.11
Stoch D13.45
Macd Line-7.84
Macd SignalBearish
Macd Hist-6.90
Volatility structure3 observations
Atr9.60
Atr Pct5.47%
EnvironmentHigh
Option market context3 observations
Current Iv51.61
Iv Rank28.44
Iv Percentile51.39%
Price boundaries8 observations
Bb Upper212.3
Bb Middle191.8
Bb Lower171.2
Bb Pctb0.10
True High$177.61
True Low$174.17
True High 5d$186.78
True Low 5d$174.17
Three-day velocities7 observations
Sma20$-0.19
Sma50$-1.34
Mvwap20$0.34
Macd-0.30
Rsi-1.53
Volume-36,314
Atr-0.29
Risk radar5 observations
Earnings RiskLow
Earnings DateOct 28, 2026
Macro RiskUnknown
Vol RiskHigh
Structure RiskMedium
Deterministic scoring

JW Rank factors

Higher scores indicate stronger observed structure
LiquidityTrading capacity and quote quality proxyCoverage 100%
83
Strategy FitGeneric Wheel premium-selling environment fitCoverage 100%
55
Technical TrendPrice trend, momentum and long-term structureCoverage 100%
37
Market Tail RiskMarket-wide volatility and tail-risk regimeCoverage 100%
32
Fundamental QualityBusiness quality and balance-sheet durabilityCoverage 100%
80
Volatility PressureOption premium pressure relative to realized movementCoverage 100%
49

JW Rank is not a buy/sell rating, and coverage measures field availability—not accuracy or certainty.

Options Intelligence

What the closing chain was pricing

KLAC Option Market Implies Balanced Sentiment

The KLAC option market displays a balanced outlook, with neither strong bullish nor bearish signals. The implied volatility is elevated at 51.16%, reflecting uncertainty surrounding the stock's future direction. The term structure exhibits backwardation, suggesting that near-term options are more expensive than longer-dated options. While recent earnings beat expectations, the stock has pulled back due to high valuations and concerns about cyclical risks.

Front ATM IV53.85%
Current IV51.16%
IV Rank27.75
IV Percentile50.60%
25Δ skew1.32
Term slope-4.62
Term structureBackwardation
Quote coverage100%
Median option spread10.73%
Term structure

Implied volatility by expiration

3 observed expirations
53.9%47.4%
ExpirationDTEATM IVState
2026-09-044.0053.85%
2026-09-1111.0047.44%
2026-09-1818.0049.23%
Reference structures

Defined-risk observations

Bull Put Spread Reference

Expiration
Short strike$170.00
Long strike$167.50
Net credit / share$0.60
Credit / width24.00%
$60$-190$166.13$171.38Expiration payoff per standard 100-share contract

Bear Call Spread Reference

Expiration
Short strike$182.50
Long strike$185.00
Net credit / share$0.58
Credit / width23.00%
$58$-192$181.13$186.38Expiration payoff per standard 100-share contract
Evidence used
  • Implied volatility is at 51.16%, indicating heightened uncertainty.
  • The term structure shows backwardation, with near-term options more expensive than longer-dated ones.
  • Recent earnings beat expectations but the stock pulled back due to valuation concerns and sector weakness.
Risk context
  • Valuation concerns may weigh on the stock price.
  • Cyclical risks in the semiconductor sector could impact KLAC's performance.
Strategy intelligence

Structural fit, not a trade instruction

Wheel fit score54.90

KLAC's option market presents a balanced view with elevated implied volatility and backwardated term structure.

Execution intelligence

Liquidity and quote conditions

Dollar volume$631.14M
Underlying bid/ask spread0.25%
Option quote coverage100%
Median option spread10.73%
Fundamental intelligence

Business quality context

Factor score79.50
Coverage100%

Business quality and balance-sheet durability

Latest strategy observation

KLAC Covered Call signal

Aug 31, 2026 10:58 AM EDT

Covered Call | 2026-09-11 | short $175.00 | $6.25 credit | High turnover

Generalized structural observation only; no quantity, order instruction or personalized recommendation is provided.

Company and fundamental profile

KLA Corp at a glance

Dated valuation, quality, growth and shareholder context

Market position and valuation

Market capitalization$229.76B
P/E (TTM)56.6×
Beta1.45
52-week range$83.22 – $307.37
52-week return96.35%
Shares outstanding1.31B

Profitability and financial quality

Return on equity85.38%
Operating margin41.77%
Net margin35.57%
Debt / equity0.93×

Growth and cash generation

Revenue growth (3Y)8.96%
EPS growth (3Y)14.86%
Free cash flow CAGR (5Y)14.04%
Revenue / share (TTM)10.36
Book value / share4.86

Shareholder return and calendar

Dividend yield1.04%

Trading and reference facts

MarketNasdaq Nms Global Market
CountryUs
CurrencyUsd
IPO date1980-10-08
Company website
Methodology, edition and field coverage
EditionOfficial Close
Ready sections3 / 3
Report identity17202c771d9703edc778fbc9

JW Rank is deterministic and is not a buy/sell rating. Narrative sections explain dated evidence and do not change the score or observed facts. Coverage measures field availability, not accuracy or certainty. This public edition remains fixed.

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Important disclosures. Generalized market-structure research only. This report does not consider holdings, objectives, risk tolerance or financial circumstances and is not an investment recommendation, transaction instruction, offer, solicitation or return forecast. Market data, model scores and AI explanations may be delayed, incomplete or incorrect. Past, hypothetical, model and settled-signal results do not predict future results. Options are complex and may involve loss of the entire premium, substantial or theoretically unlimited loss, assignment, early exercise, margin, liquidity and execution risk. Before trading standardized options, read the OCC’s Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options. Terms of Use · Privacy Policy