Quick Read
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A $1,000 investment in KLAC a decade ago is now worth $31,595, a 3,061% return dwarfing the S&P 500’s 265% gain.
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KLA beats SPY at every time horizon, posting an 87% one-year return versus SPY’s 16%, fueled by AI-driven inspection demand.
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KLA’s $12.5 billion backlog and 6x lead over rivals support the bull case, but a $255 billion market cap limits repeat-decade upside.
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Just released. Our analysts combed the entire stock market and named the ten best stocks to buy right now, and KLA didn’t make the cut. Enter your email to see the names that beat KLAC. The report is free. Enter your email and see if any of your stocks made the cut.
A Chip Inspector Turned Into an AI Gatekeeper
KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) sells the tools that catch mistakes. Its inspection and metrology systems find defects in wafers and reticles before they become scrapped chips. That puts KLA on the critical path for leading-edge foundry, memory and advanced packaging production.
Over the past decade, that job got harder and more valuable. Chipmakers moved to EUV lithography, advanced nodes and HBM memory, and every new step meant more inspection per wafer. Then the AI buildout turned a steady business into a growth engine. In July, management said KLA “remains uniquely positioned on the critical path of AI infrastructure expansion.” Fiscal 2026 revenue reached $13.58 billion, up 11.7%. The company also completed a 10-for-1 stock split on June 11, 2026.
Your $1,000 Grew Into $31,595
KLA figures use split- and dividend-adjusted prices, so they capture splits and reinvested dividends along with price gains. They run through the last settled close on Friday, October 9, 2026, because markets are closed for the weekend. The S&P 500 benchmark uses the price return of SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSEARCA:SPY).
1-Year Return
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Initial Investment: $1,000
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Current Value: $1,866.50
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Total Return: 86.65%
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S&P 500 (same period): $1,160 (16%)
5-Year Return
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Initial Investment: $1,000
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Current Value: $6,294.30
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Total Return: 529.43%
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Annualized Return: 44.47%
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S&P 500 (same period): $1,778.10 (77.81%)
10-Year Return
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Free Report, Just Released
Why Didn’t KLAC Make The Top 10 List?
24/7 Wall St has helped investors make money for over two decades, and our top analysts just finished ranking the definitive Top 10 Stocks To Buy Now. Not the ten biggest companies. Not the ten everyone is arguing about. The ten best stocks to buy right now.
And KLAC didn’t make the cut!
The report is free, and you can see why we think each stock is a top investment today.
