ACLS vs NVMI vs LRCX Stock Comparison

Axcelis Technologies, Nova and Lam Research Prices as of Nov 2, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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ACLS Axcelis Technologies Inc
$95.15 -35.6% 1M +19.6% 1Y
Market cap
$2.94B
P/E
31.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$866.07M
Div. yield
–
Semiconductor Equipment Technology
1 win
NVMI Nova Ltd.
$304.00 -23.3% 1M -11.8% 1Y
Market cap
$9.66B
P/E
33.9x
Revenue (TTM)
$937.50M
Div. yield
–
Semiconductor Equipment Technology
1 win
LRCX Lam Research Corp
$227.56 -34.5% 1M +44.5% 1Y
Market cap
$284.26B
P/E
33.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$26.13B
Div. yield
0.49%
Semiconductor Equipment Technology
7 wins

Head to Head

9 decided of 12

Lam Research leads on 7 of the 12 questions below (Lam Research 7, Axcelis Technologies 1, Nova 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionACLSNVMILRCXLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $2.94B $9.66B $284.26B LRCX
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 31.6x 33.9x 33.7x ACLS
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 22.5x 26.9x 22.5x LRCX
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months -3.3% +16.2% +33.4% LRCX
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 10.7% 28.8% 32.3% LRCX
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital — — 49.6% –
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA — — -0.4x –
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield — — 0.49% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +19.6% -11.8% +44.5% LRCX
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +10.0%/yr +22.3%/yr +31.4%/yr LRCX
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 70.8% 59.9% 66.3% NVMI
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 57/100 53/100 67/100 LRCX

Percentile Scorecard

ACLSNVMILRCX

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

AxisACLSNVMILRCX
Valuation 75 #24 of 94 55 #43 of 94 51 #47 of 94
Growth 6 #87 of 92 68 #30 of 92 84 #16 of 92
Profitability 46 #49 of 90 74 #24 of 90 96 #5 of 90
Financial Health 64 #37 of 101 14 #87 of 101 45 #56 of 101
Shareholder Returns 92 #7 of 74 – 60 #30 of 74
Overall 57 53 67
  • ACLS ranked among 103 companies in Semiconductors
  • NVMI ranked among 103 companies in Semiconductors
  • LRCX ranked among 103 companies in Semiconductors

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodACLSNVMILRCXSPY
1 month -35.6%-23.3%-34.5% -2.3%
3 months -27.4%-22.8%-22.8% -0.7%
6 months -32.9%-38.2%-12.0% +4.8%
Year to date +18.4%-7.4%+32.9% +10.3%
1 year +19.6%-11.8%+44.5% +10.3%
3 years -27.4%+202.8%+258.9% +73.0%
3 years, per year -10.1%+44.7%+53.1% +20.1%
5 years +61.2%+173.4%+291.4% +61.9%
5 years, per year +10.0%+22.3%+31.4% +10.1%
10 years +607.4%+2,377.6%+2,272.9% +258.6%
10 years, per year +21.6%+37.9%+37.3% +13.6%

Risk

MeasureACLSNVMILRCXSPY
Volatility, 1Y 70.8%59.9%66.3% 12.8%
Downside volatility, 1Y 73.4%68.1%65.9% 12.8%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 2.902.933.30 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.28-0.200.67 0.80
Max drawdown, 5Y -78.8%-52.8%-56.8% -25.4%
From 52-week high -50.3%-49.8%-47.5% -3.5%
52-week high $191.60$605.65$433.33 $779.14
52-week low $74.12$275.78$139.59 $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.

MultipleACLSNVMILRCX
P/E now vs peer median 31.6xmedian 41.3x 33.9xmedian 41.3x 33.7xmedian 41.3x
P/S now vs peer median 3.4xmedian 6.6x 10.3xmedian 6.6x 10.9xmedian 6.6x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 23.7xmedian 26.2x 31.1xmedian 26.2x 27.7xmedian 26.2x
P/FCF now vs peer median 44.8xmedian 37.7x 39.5xmedian 37.7x 43.5xmedian 37.7x
P/B now vs peer median 2.8xmedian 4.3x 6.6xmedian 4.3x 20.4xmedian 4.3x
PEG now vs peer median -1.45median 1.81 1.37median 1.81 1.08median 1.81

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 monthsACLSNVMILRCX
Revenue $866.07M $937.50M $26.13B
Gross profit $372.51M $535.50M $13.34B
Operating income $89.42M $271.61M $9.65B
Net income $92.79M $270.51M $8.45B
Free cash flow $65.55M $244.83M $6.54B
R&D $112.26M $151.05M $2.47B
EPS (diluted) $2.98 $8.24 $6.73
Cash & equivalents $155.00M $124.85M $7.44B
Total debt – – $3.74B
Shares (diluted) 31.13M 32.80M 1.26B
Enterprise value $1.35B $6.83B $260.31B

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
MetricACLSNVMILRCX
P/E 31.6x 33.9x 33.7x
P/FCF 44.8x 39.5x 43.5x
P/Operating cash flow 39.0x 42.7x 37.5x
P/S 3.4x 10.3x 10.9x
P/B 2.8x 6.6x 20.4x
P/Tangible book 2.8x 6.8x 20.4x
EV/EBITDA 23.7x 31.1x 27.7x
EV/EBIT 28.4x 33.3x 29.1x
EV/Revenue 2.9x 9.6x 10.7x
EV/FCF 38.7x 36.9x 42.9x
EV/Operating cash flow 33.7x 39.9x 37.0x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -1.45 1.37 1.08

Growth

14 metrics
MetricACLSNVMILRCX
Revenue growth (1Y) -3.3% 16.2% 33.4%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) -5.4% 19.5% 18.2%
Gross profit growth (1Y) -7.4% 16.2% 38.1%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) -5.2% 20.0% 23.4%
Operating income growth (1Y) -44.0% 16.3% 49.3%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -26.4% 24.6% 29.0%
Net income growth (1Y) -41.5% 15.2% 45.4%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -23.4% 25.8% 28.6%
EPS growth (1Y) -40.0% 12.8% 47.0%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -21.8% 24.6% 31.1%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -45.5% -1.4% 18.7%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -33.3% 20.7% 15.3%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -46.5% -3.4% 17.8%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -35.2% 18.2% 13.2%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricACLSNVMILRCX
Gross margin 43.0% 57.1% 51.1%
EBITDA margin 12.4% 31.0% 38.7%
Operating margin 10.3% 29.0% 37.0%
Pretax margin 12.3% 34.1% 37.2%
Net margin 10.7% 28.8% 32.3%
FCF margin 7.6% 26.1% 25.0%
Operating cash flow margin 8.7% 24.1% 29.0%
Return on equity 8.8% 19.0% 64.1%
Return on assets 6.7% 11.0% 33.9%
Return on invested capital – – 49.6%
Return on capital employed 7.6% 17.9% 54.8%
Asset turnover 0.6x 0.4x 1.0x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 0.8x 0.8x 0.9x
Stock comp / revenue 2.5% 2.8% 1.5%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricACLSNVMILRCX
Debt / assets – – 14.2%
Debt / equity – – 0.3x
Net debt / EBITDA – – -0.4x
Debt / FCF – – 0.6x
Liabilities / assets 23.1% 41.1% 47.2%
Equity / assets 76.9% 58.9% 52.8%
Interest coverage 17.2x – –
Current ratio 4.9x 1.6x 2.5x
Quick ratio 2.8x 0.9x 1.8x
Cash ratio 2.0x 0.7x 1.0x
Altman Z-score 7.54 – 18.38

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricACLSNVMILRCX
Dividend yield – – 0.5%
Net buyback yield 1.9% – 1.3%
Shareholder yield 1.9% – 1.8%
Payout ratio (earnings) – – –
Payout ratio (FCF) – – –
Dividend growth (1Y) – – –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – –

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.

ConsensusACLSNVMILRCX
Forward P/E 22.5xFY2026 26.9xFY2026 22.5xFY2027
EPS, next fiscal year $4.22FY2026 $11.30FY2026 $10.12FY2027
EPS growth, next FY -13.5%FY2026 +31.1%FY2026 +73.9%FY2027
EPS growth, the year after +18.7% +17.2% +12.6%
Revenue, next fiscal year $920.94MFY2026 $1.15BFY2026 $32.96BFY2027
Revenue growth, next FY +9.8%FY2026 +30.3%FY2026 +41.9%FY2027
Revenue growth, the year after +0.6% +23.9% +25.0%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersACLSNVMILRCX
Held by institutions 100.0% 69.0% 85.6%
Institutions holding 443 343 3,134
Change in shares held, QoQ -5.0% -4.1% +6.2%
Institutions buying 234 175 1,698
Institutions selling 144 129 1,163
Buyers to sellers 1.63 1.36 1.46

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.

ACLSNVMILRCX
ACLS 1.00 0.66 0.71
NVMI 0.66 1.00 0.84
LRCX 0.71 0.84 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, ACLS, NVMI and LRCX?

Lam Research (LRCX) is the largest by market capitalisation: Axcelis Technologies (ACLS) $2.94B, Nova (NVMI) $9.66B, Lam Research (LRCX) $284.26B.

Which stock is cheaper, ACLS, NVMI and LRCX?

Axcelis Technologies (ACLS) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Axcelis Technologies (ACLS) 31.6x, Nova (NVMI) 33.9x, Lam Research (LRCX) 33.7x). On next year's consensus earnings, Lam Research (LRCX) is cheapest (Axcelis Technologies (ACLS) 22.5x, Nova (NVMI) 26.9x, Lam Research (LRCX) 22.5x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Lam Research (LRCX) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Axcelis Technologies (ACLS) -3.3%, Nova (NVMI) +16.2%, Lam Research (LRCX) +33.4%.

Which company is more profitable?

Lam Research (LRCX) has the highest net margin (Axcelis Technologies (ACLS) 10.7%, Nova (NVMI) 28.8%, Lam Research (LRCX) 32.3%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Lam Research (LRCX) returned the most: Axcelis Technologies (ACLS) +19.6%, Nova (NVMI) -11.8%, Lam Research (LRCX) +44.5%. Over five years, Lam Research (LRCX) compounded fastest (Axcelis Technologies (ACLS) +10.0%/yr, Nova (NVMI) +22.3%/yr, Lam Research (LRCX) +31.4%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Lam Research (LRCX) 0.49%. Axcelis Technologies (ACLS) and Nova (NVMI) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Nova (NVMI) has been the steadiest (Axcelis Technologies (ACLS) 70.8%, Nova (NVMI) 59.9%, Lam Research (LRCX) 66.3%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, ACLS, NVMI and LRCX?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Lam Research (LRCX) leads on 7. 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.