Chipmaking tool provider KLA unveils additional $7 billion share buyback and dividend increase

March 12 (Reuters) – Chipmaking tool provider KLA Corp on Thursday announced a new $7 billion stock buyback program and a 21% increase in its quarterly dividend, while reaffirming its forecast for the current quarter.

This buyback, with no specified timeframe, is in addition to the company’s existing share repurchase authorization, which stood at $3.94 billion as of December 31, 2025.

KLA’s shares have risen more than 20% this year, after a nearly 93% jump last year, driven by relentless investment in data center infrastructure for artificial intelligence tech and the chips that power it.

Chipmakers have ramped up orders for KLA’s semiconductor fabrication tools used in manufacturing AI processors and memory chips, helping KLA beat Wall Street expectations for second-quarter revenue and profit in January.

The company said on Thursday it is raising its quarterly dividend to $2.30 per share from $1.90 per share.

Additionally, it maintained its forecast for the March quarter, with revenue expected at $3.35 billion, plus or minus $150 million, and adjusted earnings per share of $9.08, plus or minus 78 cents.

KLA’s products and services are “key enablers of the AI ecosystem and remain on track to continue to deliver sustainable market outperformance over the next several years,” CEO Rick Wallace said in a statement.

The rapid build-out of AI infrastructure — a major driver for KLA — has absorbed much of the world’s memory chip supply, boosting production capacity expansions and helping the company’s sales.

(Reporting by Arsheeya Bajwa in Bengaluru; Editing by Vijay Kishore)