New York, February 13, 2026, 5:06 PM EST — After-hours
- KLA shares picked up roughly 1% after the bell, with chip-equipment names following Applied Materials’ optimistic forecast.
- KLA outlined plans for a Chennai R&D and innovation campus, saying it could put as much as $400 million into the project over a span of 10 years.
- U.S. markets are set to reopen Tuesday following the Presidents Day break; investors are also watching KLAC’s dividend date.
KLA Corporation (KLAC.O) advanced 0.9% to $1,464.13 in Friday’s after-hours session, logging a trading range from $1,437.65 up to $1,493.48. Trading volume reached roughly 1.0 million shares.
The move up is worth watching; chip-tool names are a fast proxy for whether AI-driven demand keeps accelerating factory investment. KLA, for its part, makes inspection and measurement systems—so-called “process control” equipment that chip companies rely on to catch defects and boost yields.
Applied Materials surged 11% after the company projected second-quarter revenue and profit that beat Wall Street’s expectations, flagging a tighter memory market ahead. CEO Gary Dickerson credited the surge to “the acceleration of industry investments in AI computing.” Morningstar’s William Kerwin echoed the theme, calling demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure “immense.” 1
KLA dropped its own headline this day, announcing it’s inked a memorandum of understanding with the Tamil Nadu government for a research and innovation campus in Chennai. The company’s aiming to invest as much as $400 million over a 10-year stretch; the blueprint covers a 12-acre parcel, which could eventually reach 1.5 million square feet and support up to 4,000 jobs. “India has been a critical part of KLA’s global growth story for over two decades,” KLA India President Dominic David said. State industries minister T.R.B. Rajaa put it this way: the move “reinforces the state’s role in the global semiconductor value chain.” 2
The India play looks like a bet aimed far down the road—engineering, software, that sort of thing. For now, though, shares hinge on capex: it’s next quarter’s chipmaker plans that set the tone, not long-horizon projects.
The takeaway on Friday was straightforward: When the top U.S. chip-tool maker highlights robust AI server demand and squeezed memory supplies, the rest of the equipment stocks typically follow. KLA didn’t miss out.
KLA tends to get grouped with other “tools” names—Applied Materials, Lam Research, the usual suspects. Sector headlines can push the stock around, company news or not. The action isn’t always clean.
The cycle doesn’t wait around. Should memory prices ease up, AI data-center construction hit a snag, or trade restrictions stretch further, demand could fade and the market won’t hesitate to reflect it.
The calendar throws a wrench into things. U.S. stock and bond markets will be shut on Monday for Presidents Day, stretching the break to a long weekend before trading picks back up. 3
KLA’s next dividend milestone lands Tuesday, right as markets reopen. The company set Feb. 17 for both the ex-dividend and record date on its $1.90 quarterly cash payout, which shareholders will see March 3. 4
Chip-equipment stocks will be under the microscope when markets open Tuesday, especially after Applied Materials. Any new analyst calls could move the whole group. KLAC faces its next hurdle: seeing if buyers stay in up to Feb. 17.
