ACLS vs KLIC vs MKSI Stock Comparison

Axcelis Technologies, Kulicke & Soffa Industries and Mks Prices as of Nov 5, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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ACLS Axcelis Technologies Inc
$90.00 -36.2% 1M +6.6% 1Y
Market cap
$3.07B
P/E
29.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$890.24M
Div. yield
–
Semiconductor Equipment Technology
1 win
MKSI Mks Inc
$176.63 -37.2% 1M +26.2% 1Y
Market cap
$12.99B
P/E
21.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$4.77B
Div. yield
0.01%
Semiconductor Equipment Technology
5 wins

Head to Head

10 decided of 12

Mks leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Mks 5, Kulicke & Soffa Industries 4, Axcelis Technologies 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionACLSKLICMKSILeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $3.07B $3.33B $12.99B MKSI
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 29.4x 28.8x 21.6x MKSI
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 21.3x 14.7x 13.1x MKSI
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +4.3% +44.4% +24.6% KLIC
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 11.7% 12.2% 12.6% MKSI
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital — — 10.8% –
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA — — 2.5x –
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.01% 0.01% KLIC
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +6.6% +51.5% +26.2% KLIC
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +8.1%/yr +0.9%/yr +2.0%/yr ACLS
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 70.7% 61.0% 63.0% KLIC
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 53/100 55/100 61/100 MKSI

Percentile Scorecard

ACLSKLICMKSI

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisACLSKLICMKSI
Valuation 72 #27 of 94 61 #37 of 94 82 #18 of 94
Growth 9 #84 of 92 63 #35 of 92 84 #16 of 92
Profitability 44 #51 of 90 52 #44 of 90 63 #34 of 90
Financial Health 64 #37 of 101 61 #40 of 101 1 #100 of 101
Shareholder Returns 75 #21 of 81 40 #49 of 81 74 #22 of 81
Overall 53 55 61
  • ACLS ranked among 103 companies in Semiconductors
  • KLIC ranked among 103 companies in Semiconductors
  • MKSI ranked among 103 companies in Semiconductors

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodACLSKLICMKSISPY
1 month -36.2%-38.9%-37.2% -5.9%
3 months -34.1%-34.0%-39.4% -4.6%
6 months -43.3%-39.0%-41.3% +0.2%
Year to date +12.0%+31.3%+10.5% +7.5%
1 year +6.6%+51.5%+26.2% +8.2%
3 years -30.4%+34.2%+160.2% +68.3%
3 years, per year -11.4%+10.3%+37.6% +19.0%
5 years +47.4%+4.4%+10.2% +56.5%
5 years, per year +8.1%+0.9%+2.0% +9.4%
10 years +679.2%+354.3%+263.4% +251.5%
10 years, per year +22.8%+16.3%+13.8% +13.4%

Risk

MeasureACLSKLICMKSISPY
Volatility, 1Y 70.7%61.0%63.0% 13.6%
Downside volatility, 1Y 73.5%68.1%67.5% 14.2%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 2.542.292.68 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.090.840.42 0.60
Max drawdown, 5Y -78.8%-59.5%-67.5% -25.4%
From 52-week high -53.0%-55.3%-60.3% -5.9%
52-week high $191.60$133.81$444.80 $779.14
52-week low $74.12$35.29$138.49 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleACLSKLICMKSI
P/E now vs peer median 26.6xmedian 35.6x 27.1xmedian 35.6x 19.9xmedian 35.6x
P/S now vs peer median 3.1xmedian 5.8x 3.3xmedian 5.8x 2.5xmedian 5.8x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 21.1xmedian 21.9x 18.5xmedian 21.9x 12.2xmedian 21.9x
P/FCF now vs peer median 46.4xmedian 30.7x 76.1xmedian 30.7x 21.6xmedian 30.7x
P/B now vs peer median 2.5xmedian 3.5x 3.4xmedian 3.5x 3.6xmedian 3.5x
PEG now vs peer median -1.22median 1.25 3.35median 1.25 0.61median 1.25

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsACLSKLICMKSI
Revenue $890.24M $950.21M $4.77B
Gross profit $381.13M $457.82M $2.26B
Operating income $91.75M $125.54M $869.00M
Net income $104.56M $115.74M $602.00M
Free cash flow $59.93M $41.13M $552.00M
R&D $117.80M $161.53M $314.00M
EPS (diluted) $3.36 $2.17 $8.30
Cash & equivalents $190.77M $368.57M $676.00M
Total debt – – $3.78B
Shares (diluted) 31.11M 53.43M 72.50M
Enterprise value $1.45B $1.34B $10.45B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricACLSKLICMKSI
P/E 26.6x 27.1x 19.9x
P/FCF 46.4x 76.1x 21.6x
P/Operating cash flow 39.6x 56.8x 16.4x
P/S 3.1x 3.3x 2.5x
P/B 2.5x 3.4x 3.6x
P/Tangible book 2.5x 3.5x 9.1x
EV/EBITDA 21.1x 18.5x 12.2x
EV/EBIT 25.1x 20.8x 17.3x
EV/Revenue 2.6x 2.8x 3.2x
EV/FCF 38.5x 63.6x 27.3x
EV/Operating cash flow 32.9x 47.4x 20.6x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -1.22 3.35 0.61

Growth

14 metrics
MetricACLSKLICMKSI
Revenue growth (1Y) 4.3% 44.4% 24.6%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) -6.4% 4.8% 7.7%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 0.0% 61.0% 25.3%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) -6.3% 5.0% 9.5%
Operating income growth (1Y) -33.4% 8,922% 67.1%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -27.7% 12.8% 37.8%
Net income growth (1Y) -23.1% 1,845% 115.8%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -23.4% 5.5% 33.0%
EPS growth (1Y) -22.2% 1,818% 101.2%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -21.7% 8.1% 32.5%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -49.0% -59.7% 7.5%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -31.0% -36.2% 31.4%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -51.7% -65.7% 4.2%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -33.0% -37.0% 37.1%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricACLSKLICMKSI
Gross margin 42.8% 48.2% 47.3%
EBITDA margin 12.3% 14.9% 25.8%
Operating margin 10.3% 13.2% 18.2%
Pretax margin 12.6% 15.2% 14.5%
Net margin 11.7% 12.2% 12.6%
FCF margin 6.7% 4.3% 11.6%
Operating cash flow margin 7.9% 5.8% 15.3%
Return on equity 9.6% 13.1% 19.2%
Return on assets 7.3% 9.2% 6.6%
Return on invested capital – – 10.8%
Return on capital employed 7.8% 13.5% 13.4%
Asset turnover 0.6x 0.8x 0.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 0.7x 0.5x 1.2x
Stock comp / revenue 2.6% 2.9% 1.2%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricACLSKLICMKSI
Debt / assets – – 40.9%
Debt / equity – – 1.1x
Net debt / EBITDA – – 2.5x
Debt / FCF – – 6.8x
Liabilities / assets 24.7% 30.9% 64.4%
Equity / assets 75.3% 69.1% 35.6%
Interest coverage 15.7x 836.9x 5.1x
Current ratio 4.4x 3.4x 1.2x
Quick ratio 2.5x 2.6x 0.6x
Cash ratio 1.9x 1.6x 0.3x
Altman Z-score 6.62 7.72 2.27

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricACLSKLICMKSI
Dividend yield – 1.3% 0.5%
Net buyback yield 0.8% 0.8% –
Shareholder yield 0.8% 2.1% 0.5%
Payout ratio (earnings) – 37.0% 11.0%
Payout ratio (FCF) – 104.2% 12.0%
Dividend growth (1Y) – -1.9% 11.9%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – 1.2% 3.8%

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusACLSKLICMKSI
Forward P/E 21.3xFY2026 14.7xFY2026 13.1xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $4.22FY2026 $4.07FY2026 $13.48FY2026
EPS growth, next FY -13.5%FY2026 +1,838.1%FY2026 +71.1%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +18.7% +38.6% +34.9%
Revenue, next fiscal year $920.94MFY2026 $1.19BFY2026 $5.43BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +9.8%FY2026 +82.6%FY2026 +38.1%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +0.6% +24.1% +8.0%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersACLSKLICMKSI
Held by institutions 100.0% 92.8% 100.0%
Institutions holding 443 467 778
Change in shares held, QoQ -5.0% +1.6% +2.8%
Institutions buying 234 268 455
Institutions selling 144 152 253
Buyers to sellers 1.63 1.76 1.80

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

ACLSKLICMKSI
ACLS 1.00 0.64 0.73
KLIC 0.64 1.00 0.77
MKSI 0.73 0.77 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, ACLS, KLIC and MKSI?

Mks (MKSI) is the largest by market capitalisation: Axcelis Technologies (ACLS) $3.07B, Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) $3.33B, Mks (MKSI) $12.99B.

Which stock is cheaper, ACLS, KLIC and MKSI?

Mks (MKSI) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Axcelis Technologies (ACLS) 29.4x, Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) 28.8x, Mks (MKSI) 21.6x). On next year's consensus earnings, Mks (MKSI) is cheapest (Axcelis Technologies (ACLS) 21.3x, Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) 14.7x, Mks (MKSI) 13.1x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Axcelis Technologies (ACLS) +4.3%, Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) +44.4%, Mks (MKSI) +24.6%.

Which company is more profitable?

Mks (MKSI) has the highest net margin (Axcelis Technologies (ACLS) 11.7%, Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) 12.2%, Mks (MKSI) 12.6%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) returned the most: Axcelis Technologies (ACLS) +6.6%, Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) +51.5%, Mks (MKSI) +26.2%. Over five years, Axcelis Technologies (ACLS) compounded fastest (Axcelis Technologies (ACLS) +8.1%/yr, Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) +0.9%/yr, Mks (MKSI) +2.0%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) has the highest dividend yield: Axcelis Technologies (ACLS) 0.00%, Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) 0.01%, Mks (MKSI) 0.01%. Axcelis Technologies (ACLS) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) has been the steadiest (Axcelis Technologies (ACLS) 70.7%, Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) 61.0%, Mks (MKSI) 63.0%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, ACLS, KLIC and MKSI?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Mks (MKSI) leads on 5. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.