KLA Corporation Reports Fiscal 2025 First Quarter Results

    --  Total revenues were $2.84 billion, above the midpoint of the guidance
        range of $2.75 billion +/- $150 million;
    --  GAAP diluted EPS was $7.01 and non-GAAP diluted EPS was $7.33, both of
        which were near the upper end of the respective guidance ranges;
    --  Cash flow from operating activities for the quarter and last twelve
        months were $995.2 million and $3.42 billion, respectively, and free
        cash flow was $934.8 million and $3.15 billion, respectively; and
    --  Capital returns for the quarter and last twelve months were $765.5
        million and $2.64 billion, respectively.

MILPITAS, Calif., Oct. 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- KLA Corporation (NASDAQ: KLAC) today announced financial and operating results for its first quarter of fiscal year 2025, which ended on Sept. 30, 2024, and reported GAAP net income of $945.9 million and GAAP net income per diluted share of $7.01 on revenues of $2.84 billion.

"KLA's September quarter results demonstrate continued outperformance with results above expectations and consistent with our expectation of sequential quarterly growth in revenue over the course of the current calendar year," said Rick Wallace, president and CEO, KLA Corporation. "While some customers are facing near-term challenges, we are optimistic about continued semiconductor market growth in the fourth calendar quarter of 2024 and into calendar 2025. KLA's industry-leading portfolio combined with disciplined operational execution positions the company well to support customer investments, particularly in leading-edge AI and high-performance computing applications."


                                     
       
       GAAP Results


                                                                Q1 FY 2025         Q4 FY 2024          Q1 FY 2024



     Total Revenues                                
           $2,842 million 
       $2,569 million  
       $2,397 million



     Net Income                                      
           $946 million   
       $836 million    
       $741 million



     Net Income per Diluted Share                                   $7.01               $6.18                $5.41




                                   
       
       Non-GAAP Results


                                                                Q1 FY 2025         Q4 FY 2024          Q1 FY 2024



     Net Income                                      
           $988 million   
       $893 million    
       $786 million



     Net Income per Diluted Share                                   $7.33               $6.60                $5.74

A reconciliation between GAAP operating results and non-GAAP operating results is provided following the financial statements included in this release. KLA will discuss the results for its fiscal year 2025 first quarter, along with its outlook, on a conference call today beginning at 2 p.m. P.T. A webcast of the call will be available at: www.kla.com.

Second Quarter Fiscal 2025 Guidance
The following details our guidance for the second quarter of fiscal 2025 ending in Dec.:

    --  Total revenues is expected to be in a range of $2.95 billion +/- $150
        million
    --  GAAP gross margin is expected to be in a range of 60.0% +/- 1.0%
    --  Non-GAAP gross margin is expected to be in a range of 61.5% +/- 1.0%
    --  GAAP diluted EPS is expected to be in a range of $7.45 +/- $0.60
    --  Non-GAAP diluted EPS is expected to be in a range of $7.75 +/- $0.60

For additional details and assumptions underlying our guidance metrics, please see the company's published Letter to Shareholders, Earnings Slide Presentation and Earnings Infographic on the KLA investor relations website. Such Letter to Shareholders, Earnings Slide Presentation and Earnings Infographic are not incorporated by reference into this earnings release.

About KLA:
KLA Corporation ("KLA") develops industry-leading equipment and services that enable innovation throughout the electronics industry. We provide advanced process control and process-enabling solutions for manufacturing wafers and reticles, integrated circuits, packaging and printed circuit boards. In close collaboration with leading customers across the globe, our expert teams of physicists, engineers, data scientists and problem-solvers design solutions that move the world forward. Investors and others should note that KLA announces material financial information including SEC filings, press releases, public earnings calls and conference webcasts using an investor relations website (ir.kla.com). Additional information may be found at: www.kla.com.

Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:
Statements in this press release other than historical facts, such as statements pertaining to total revenues, GAAP and non-GAAP gross margin and GAAP and non-GAAP diluted EPS for the quarter ending Dec. 31, 2024, are forward-looking statements and are subject to the Safe Harbor provisions created by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on current information and expectations and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those projected in such statements due to various factors, including, but not limited to: our vulnerability to a weakening in the condition of the financial markets and the global economy; risks related to our international operations; evolving Bureau of Industry and Security of the U.S. Department of Commerce rules and regulations and their impact on our ability to sell products to and provide services to certain customers in China; costly intellectual property disputes that could result in our inability to sell or use the challenged technology; risks related to the legal, regulatory and tax environments in which we conduct our business; increasing attention to ESG matters and the resulting costs, risks and impact on our business; unexpected delays, difficulties and expenses in executing against our environmental, climate, diversity and inclusion or other ESG targets, goals and commitments; our ability to attract, retain and motivate key personnel; our vulnerability to disruptions and delays at our third party service providers; cybersecurity threats, cyber incidents affecting our and our business partners' systems and networks; our inability to access critical information in a timely manner due to system failures; risks related to acquisitions, integrations, strategic alliances or collaborative arrangements; climate change, earthquake, flood or other natural catastrophic events, public health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic or terrorism and the adverse impact on our business operations; the war between Ukraine and Russia, and the war in the Middle East, and the significant military activity in that region; lack of insurance for losses and interruptions caused by terrorists and acts of war, and our self-insurance of certain risks including earthquake risk; risks related to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; risks related to fluctuations in interest rates and the market values of our portfolio investments; risks related to tax and regulatory compliance audits; any change in taxation rules or practices and our effective tax rate; compliance costs with federal securities laws, rules, regulations, NASDAQ requirements, and evolving accounting standards and practices; ongoing changes in the technology industry, and the semiconductor industry in particular, including future growth rates, pricing trends in end-markets, or changes in customer capital spending patterns; our vulnerability to a highly concentrated customer base; the cyclicality of the industries in which we operate; our ability to timely develop new technologies and products that successfully address changes in the industry; risks related to artificial intelligence; our ability to maintain our technology advantage and protect proprietary rights; our ability to compete in the industry; availability and cost of the materials and parts used in the production of our products; our ability to operate our business in accordance with our business plan; risks related to our debt and leveraged capital structure; we may not be able to declare cash dividends at all or in any particular amount; liability to our customers under indemnification provisions if our products fail to operate properly or contain defects or our customers are sued by third parties due to our products; our government funding for R&D is subject to audit, and potential termination or penalties; we may incur significant restructuring charges or other asset impairment charges or inventory write offs; risks related to receivables factoring arrangements and compliance risk of certain settlement agreements with the government; and risks related to the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware being the sole and exclusive forum for certain actions and proceedings. For other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those projected and anticipated in forward-looking statements in this press release, please refer to KLA's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2024, and other subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (including, but not limited to, the risk factors described therein). KLA assumes no obligation to, and does not currently intend to, update these forward-looking statements.



       
                KLA Corporation



       
                Condensed Consolidated Unaudited Balance Sheets





       
                
                  
                    (In thousands)  Sept. 30, 2024 June 30, 2024

    ---


       
                ASSETS



       Current assets:



       Cash and cash equivalents                                        $1,977,202     $1,977,129



       Marketable securities                                             2,652,514      2,526,866



       Accounts receivable, net                                          1,953,156      1,833,041



       Inventories                                                       3,109,837      3,034,781



       Other current assets                                                535,730        659,327



       Total current assets                                             10,228,439     10,031,144



       Land, property and equipment, net                                 1,118,312      1,109,968



       Goodwill, net                                                     2,015,721      2,015,726



       Deferred income taxes                                               981,591        915,241



       Purchased intangible assets, net                                    612,011        668,764



       Other non-current assets                                            725,663        692,723



       Total assets                                                    $15,681,737    $15,433,566



       
                LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY



       Current liabilities:



       Accounts payable                                                   $376,505       $359,487



       Deferred system revenue                                             877,207        985,856



       Deferred service revenue                                            512,470        501,926



       Current portion of long-term debt                                   749,984        749,936



       Other current liabilities                                         2,282,048      2,063,569



       Total current liabilities                                         4,798,214      4,660,774



       Long-term debt                                                    5,881,372      5,880,199



       Deferred tax liabilities                                            471,575        486,690



       Deferred service revenue                                            319,794        294,460



       Other non-current liabilities                                       651,068        743,115



       Total liabilities                                                12,122,023     12,065,238



       Stockholders' equity:



       Common stock and capital in excess of par value                   2,257,052      2,280,133



       Retained earnings                                                 1,328,166      1,137,270



       Accumulated other comprehensive loss                               (25,504)      (49,075)



       Total stockholders' equity                                        3,559,714      3,368,328



       Total liabilities and stockholders' equity                      $15,681,737    $15,433,566



       
                KLA Corporation



       
                Condensed Consolidated Unaudited Statements of Operations




                                                                                                         Three Months Ended Sept. 30,


                                                     (In thousands, except per share amounts)       2024       2023

    ---


       Revenues:



       Product                                                                               $2,197,389 $1,836,664



       Service                                                                                  644,152    560,292



       Total revenues                                                                         2,841,541  2,396,956



       Costs and expenses:



       Costs of revenues                                                                      1,147,431    946,891



       Research and development                                                                 323,145    311,214



       Selling, general and administrative                                                      251,042    239,645



       Interest expense                                                                          82,171     74,234



       Other expense (income), net                                                             (40,935)  (26,739)



       Income before income taxes                                                             1,078,687    851,711



       Provision for income taxes                                                               132,836    110,336



       Net income                                                                              $945,851   $741,375



       Net income per share



       Basic                                                                                      $7.05      $5.43



       Diluted                                                                                    $7.01      $5.41



       Weighted-average number of shares:



       Basic                                                                                    134,134    136,412



       Diluted                                                                                  134,858    137,104



       
                KLA Corporation



       
                Condensed Consolidated Unaudited Statements of Cash Flows


                                                                                                                        Three Months Ended Sept. 30,



       
                
                  
                    (In thousands)                                                           2024                   2023

    ---


       Cash flows from operating activities:



       Net income                                                                                                        $945,851               $741,375



       Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:



       Depreciation and amortization                                                                                       95,823                102,403



       Unrealized foreign exchange loss and other                                                                           7,718                  9,970



       Stock-based compensation expense                                                                                    61,700                 48,772



       Deferred income taxes                                                                                             (81,682)              (71,322)



       Changes in assets and liabilities, net of assets acquired and liabilities assumed in business acquisitions:



       Accounts receivable                                                                                               (91,660)               107,018



       Inventories                                                                                                       (59,326)             (138,419)



       Other assets                                                                                                       152,641                (7,520)



       Accounts payable                                                                                                  (12,463)                 8,345



       Deferred system revenue                                                                                          (108,648)                14,057



       Deferred service revenue                                                                                            35,863                  5,901



       Other liabilities                                                                                                   49,421                 63,160



       Net cash provided by operating activities                                                                          995,238                883,740



       Cash flows from investing activities:



       Capital expenditures                                                                                              (60,393)              (68,045)



       Purchases of available-for-sale securities                                                                       (837,935)             (530,842)



       Proceeds from sale of available-for-sale securities                                                                 55,322                  7,983



       Proceeds from maturity of available-for-sale securities                                                            671,925                201,149



       Purchases of trading securities                                                                                   (17,581)              (49,958)



       Proceeds from sale of trading securities                                                                            17,623                 48,042



       Net cash used in investing activities                                                                            (171,039)             (391,671)



       Cash flows from financing activities:



       Common stock repurchases                                                                                         (567,383)             (455,412)



       Payment of dividends to stockholders                                                                             (198,079)             (181,507)



       Tax withholding payments related to vested and released restricted stock units                                    (72,246)              (68,237)



       Net cash used in financing activities                                                                            (837,708)             (705,156)



       Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents                                                        13,582                (3,208)



       Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents                                                                    73              (216,295)



       Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period                                                                 1,977,129              1,927,865



       Cash and cash equivalents at end of period                                                                      $1,977,202             $1,711,570



       Supplemental cash flow disclosures:



       Income taxes paid, net                                                                                             $96,395                $99,388



       Interest paid                                                                                                     $131,126               $113,236



       Non-cash activities:



       Contingent consideration payable - financing activities                                                     
     $          -                $(920)



       Dividends payable - financing activities                                                                            $2,009                 $1,853



       Unsettled common stock repurchase - financing activities                                                            $5,499                $11,000



       Accrued purchase of land, property and equipment - investing activities                                            $13,849                $22,729



       
                KLA Corporation

         Segment Information (Unaudited)




       The following is a summary of results for each of our three reportable segments and reconciliations to total revenues for the indicated periods:




                                                                                                                                                                    Three Months Ended Sept. 30,



       
                
                  (In thousands)                                                                                                             2024            2023

    ---


       Revenues:



       Semiconductor Process Control                                                                                                                    $2,575,151      $2,135,478



       Specialty Semiconductor Process                                                                                                                     128,334         126,719



       PCB and Component Inspection                                                                                                                        137,983         136,043



       Total revenues for reportable segments                                                                                                            2,841,468       2,398,240



       Corporate allocations and effects of changes in foreign currency exchange rates                                                                          73         (1,284)



       Total revenues                                                                                                                                   $2,841,541      $2,396,956



       
                KLA Corporation

         Condensed Consolidated Unaudited Supplemental Information

         
                  Reconciliation of GAAP Net Income to Non-GAAP Net Income

    ---



                                                                                                                                                                                    
        
     Three Months Ended


                                                                                                                                   (In thousands, except per share amounts)   Sept. 30,              June 30,   Sept. 30,
                                                                                                                                                                                 2024                   2024         2023




       GAAP net income                                                                                                                                            $945,851     $836,446               $741,375



       
                Adjustments to reconcile GAAP net income to non-GAAP net income:

    ---

                                                                                      
     Acquisition-related charges                                                         a    56,694                 58,777       63,244


                                                                                      
     Restructuring, severance and other charges                                          b     2,862                 17,721


                                                                                      
     Income tax effect of non-GAAP adjustments                                           c  (19,486)              (23,227)    (20,399)


                                                                                      
     Discrete tax items                                                                  d     2,233                  3,092        2,255



       Non-GAAP net income                                                                                                                                        $988,154     $892,809               $786,475



       GAAP net income per diluted share                                                                                                                             $7.01        $6.18                  $5.41



       Non-GAAP net income per diluted share                                                                                                                         $7.33        $6.60                  $5.74



       Shares used in diluted net income per share calculation                                                                                                     134,858      135,342                137,104



       
                
                  Pre-tax Impact of GAAP to Non-GAAP Adjustments Included in Condensed Consolidated Unaudited Statements of Operations

    ---




       
                
                  
                    (In thousands)                                                                           Acquisition -              Restructuring,          Total Pre-tax GAAP
                                                                                                                                      Related                 Severance and              to Non-GAAP
                                                                                                                                      Charges                 Other Charges              Adjustments

    ---


       
                
                  Three Months Ended Sept. 30, 2024

    ---


       Costs of revenues                                                                                                                           $44,090                         $901                      $44,991



       Research and development                                                                                                                          -                       1,087                        1,087



       Selling, general and administrative                                                                                                          12,604                          874                       13,478



       Total in three months ended Sept. 30, 2024                                                                                                  $56,694                       $2,862                      $59,556



       
                
                  Three Months Ended June 30, 2024

    ---


       Costs of revenues                                                                                                                           $45,937                       $2,240                      $48,177



       Research and development                                                                                                                          -                       2,230                        2,230



       Selling, general and administrative                                                                                                          12,840                       13,251                       26,091



       Total in three months ended June 30, 2024                                                                                                   $58,777                      $17,721                      $76,498



       
                
                  Three Months Ended Sept. 30, 2023

    ---


       Costs of revenues                                                                                                                           $46,078 
             $                -                     $46,078



       Selling, general and administrative                                                                                                          17,166                                                   17,166



       Total in three months ended Sept. 30, 2023                                                                                                  $63,244 
             $                -                     $63,244



       
                
                  Free Cash Flow Reconciliation

    ---



                                                                             Three Months Ended Sept. 30,                   Twelve Months Ended Sept. 30,


                                                     (In thousands)     2024         2023                 2024         2023

    ---


       Net cash provided by operating activities                   $995,238     $883,740           $3,420,073   $3,542,000



       Capital expenditures                                        (60,393)    (68,045)           (269,732)   (325,284)



       Free cash flow                                              $934,845     $815,695           $3,150,341   $3,216,716



       
                
                  Capital Returns Calculation

    ---



                                                                             Three Months Ended Sept. 30,               Twelve Months Ended Sept.
                                                                                                              30,


                                                     (In thousands)     2024       2023                 2024       2023

    ---


       Payments of dividends to stockholders                       $198,079   $181,507             $789,613   $726,079



       Common stock repurchases                                     567,383    455,412            1,847,717  1,677,430



       Capital returns                                             $765,462   $636,919           $2,637,330 $2,403,509



       
                Second
                 Quarter Fiscal 2025 Guidance

         
                  Reconciliation of GAAP Diluted EPS to Non-GAAP Diluted EPS

    ---



                                                                                            Three Months Ending Dec. 31,
                                                                                                            2024



       
                
                  (In millions, except per share amounts)             Low                              High

    ---


       GAAP net income per diluted share                                             $6.85                              $8.05



       Acquisition-related charges                                                 a    0.42                               0.42



       Restructuring, severance and other charges                                  b    0.02                               0.02



       Income tax effect of non-GAAP adjustments                                   c  (0.14)                            (0.14)



       Non-GAAP net income per diluted share                                         $7.15                              $8.35



       Shares used in net income per diluted share calculation                       134.1                              134.1



       
                
                  Reconciliation of GAAP Gross Margin to Non-GAAP Gross Margin

    ---



                                                                                                         Three Months Ending Dec. 31,
                                                                                                                         2024


                                                                                                    Low                                 High



       GAAP gross margin                                                                        59.0 %                               61.0 %



       Acquisition-related charges                                          a                      1.5 %                                1.5 %



       Non-GAAP gross margin                                                                    60.5 %                               62.5 %

The non-GAAP and supplemental information provided in this press release is a supplement to, and not a substitute for, KLA's financial results presented in accordance with United States GAAP.

To supplement our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements presented in accordance with GAAP, we provide certain non-GAAP financial information, which is adjusted from results based on GAAP to exclude certain gains, costs and expenses, as well as other supplemental information. The non-GAAP and supplemental information is provided to enhance the user's overall understanding of our operating performance and our prospects in the future. Specifically, we believe that the non-GAAP information, including non-GAAP net income, non-GAAP net income per diluted share, non-GAAP gross margin and free cash flow, provides useful measures to both management and investors regarding financial and business trends relating to our financial performance by excluding certain costs and expenses that we believe are not indicative of our core operating results to help investors compare our operating performances with our results in prior periods as well as with the performance of other companies. The non-GAAP information is among the budgeting and planning tools that management uses for future forecasting. However, because there are no standardized or generally accepted definitions for most non-GAAP financial metrics, definitions of non-GAAP financial metrics are inherently subject to significant discretion (for example, determining which costs and expenses to exclude when calculating such a metric). As a result, non-GAAP financial metrics may be defined very differently from company to company, or even from period to period within the same company, which can potentially limit the usefulness of such information to an investor. The presentation of non-GAAP and supplemental information is not meant to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for results prepared and presented in accordance with United States GAAP. The following are descriptions of the adjustments made to reconcile GAAP net income to non-GAAP net income:




     a.   Acquisition-related charges primarily include amortization of intangible assets, transaction costs associated with our acquisitions and dispositions, as well as intangible asset impairment charges.
           Although we exclude the effect of amortization of all acquired intangible assets from these non-GAAP financial measures, management believes that it is important for investors to understand that such
           intangible assets were recorded as part of purchase price accounting arising from acquisitions, and such amortization of intangible assets related to past acquisitions will recur in future periods until
           such intangible assets have been fully amortized. Investors should note that the use of these intangible assets contributed to our revenues earned during the periods presented and are expected to
           contribute to our future period revenues as well.




     b.   Restructuring, severance and other charges primarily include costs associated with employee severance and, in the three months ended June 30, 2024, writedowns of certain right of use assets and fixed
           assets that were abandoned.




     c. 
     Income tax effect of non-GAAP adjustments includes the income tax effects of the excluded items noted above.




     d.   Discrete tax items in the three months ended June 30, 2024 included a tax impact resulting from changes made to our international structure to better align ownership of certain intellectual property
           rights with how our business operates. Discrete tax items in all periods presented included a tax impact relating to the amortization of the aforementioned tax item or similar tax items recorded in
           other periods.

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SOURCE KLA Corporation