ACMR vs KLAC vs MKSI Stock Comparison

ACM Research, Kla and Mks Prices as of Oct 29, 2026 Peers: Industry group
ACMR ACM Research, Inc.
$49.29 -34.8% 1M +16.9% 1Y
Market cap
$3.06B
P/E
20.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$1.04B
Div. yield
–
Semiconductor Equipment Technology
3 wins
KLAC Kla Corp
$167.43 -14.8% 1M +35.5% 1Y
Market cap
$205.56B
P/E
39.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$14.51B
Div. yield
0.01%
Semiconductor Equipment Technology
7 wins
MKSI Mks Inc
$216.17 -18.7% 1M +52.9% 1Y
Market cap
$13.55B
P/E
30.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$4.35B
Div. yield
0.00%
Semiconductor Equipment Technology
2 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Kla leads on 7 of the 12 questions below (Kla 7, ACM Research 3, Mks 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionACMRKLACMKSILeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $3.06B $205.56B $13.55B KLAC
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 20.4x 39.1x 30.8x ACMR
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 21.6x 29.5x 16.0x MKSI
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +27.3% +15.8% +16.3% ACMR
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 14.5% 36.2% 10.1% KLAC
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 4.7% 43.4% 8.9% KLAC
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA -4.6x 0.6x 3.2x ACMR
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.01% 0.00% KLAC
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +16.9% +35.5% +52.9% MKSI
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +6.9%/yr +35.1%/yr +7.6%/yr KLAC
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 87.9% 61.7% 61.8% KLAC
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 46/100 59/100 55/100 KLAC

Percentile Scorecard

ACMRKLACMKSI

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

AxisACMRKLACMKSI
Valuation 71 #28 of 94 39 #58 of 94 76 #23 of 94
Growth 58 #39 of 92 56 #41 of 92 73 #26 of 92
Profitability 37 #56 of 88 95 #5 of 88 62 #34 of 88
Financial Health 59 #40 of 96 20 #77 of 96 1 #95 of 96
Shareholder Returns 3 #70 of 72 83 #13 of 72 63 #27 of 72
Overall 46 59 55
  • ACMR ranked among 103 companies in Semiconductors
  • KLAC 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

PeriodACMRKLACMKSISPY
1 month -34.8%-14.8%-18.7% +0.7%
3 months -37.3%-7.2%-26.3% +3.7%
6 months -4.6%-4.3%-23.8% +7.1%
Year to date +24.9%+37.8%+35.3% +12.8%
1 year +16.9%+35.5%+52.9% +11.9%
3 years +284.8%+264.3%+230.9% +85.2%
3 years, per year +56.7%+53.9%+49.1% +22.8%
5 years +39.3%+349.2%+44.1% +67.6%
5 years, per year +6.9%+35.1%+7.6% +10.9%
10 years —+2,142.6%+335.4% +262.0%
10 years, per year —+36.5%+15.9% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureACMRKLACMKSISPY
Volatility, 1Y 87.9%61.7%61.8% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 92.5%65.7%65.8% 12.6%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 3.622.792.82 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.190.580.86 0.94
Max drawdown, 5Y -83.9%-51.7%-67.5% -25.4%
From 52-week high -61.2%-44.5%-51.4% -1.2%
52-week high $126.89$301.71$444.80 $779.14
52-week low $29.67$109.71$137.20 $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.

MultipleACMRKLACMKSI
P/E now vs peer median 22.3xmedian 46.4x 41.6xmedian 46.4x 33.2xmedian 46.4x
P/S now vs peer median 3.1xmedian 7.8x 15.0xmedian 7.8x 3.4xmedian 7.8x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 15.4xmedian 27.5x 33.8xmedian 27.5x 17.2xmedian 27.5x
P/FCF now vs peer median -26.8xmedian 40.1x 54.0xmedian 40.1x 32.1xmedian 40.1x
P/B now vs peer median 1.3xmedian 4.7x 33.4xmedian 4.7x 4.9xmedian 4.7x
PEG now vs peer median 0.82median 2.10 1.98median 2.10 1.08median 2.10

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 monthsACMRKLACMKSI
Revenue $1.04B $14.51B $4.35B
Gross profit $454.91M $8.92B $2.04B
Operating income $137.88M $6.19B $681.00M
Net income $209.10M $5.26B $439.00M
Free cash flow -$118.74M $4.04B $455.00M
R&D $162.47M $1.57B $310.00M
EPS (diluted) $2.09 $4.01 $6.05
Cash & equivalents $969.23M $1.53B $611.00M
Total debt $340.91M $5.72B $3.94B
Shares (diluted) 71.84M 1.31B 72.70M
Enterprise value -$809.79M $198.14B $10.99B

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
MetricACMRKLACMKSI
P/E 22.3x 41.6x 33.2x
P/FCF -26.8x 54.0x 32.1x
P/Operating cash flow -482.7x 48.3x 23.0x
P/S 3.1x 15.0x 3.4x
P/B 1.3x 33.4x 4.9x
P/Tangible book 1.3x 34.6x 15.0x
EV/EBITDA 15.4x 33.8x 17.2x
EV/EBIT 17.8x 35.9x 26.4x
EV/Revenue 2.4x 15.3x 4.1x
EV/FCF -20.7x 55.1x 39.4x
EV/Operating cash flow -371.6x 49.3x 28.3x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.82 1.98 1.08

Growth

14 metrics
MetricACMRKLACMKSI
Revenue growth (1Y) 27.3% 15.8% 16.3%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 31.1% 12.6% 4.2%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 13.0% 16.1% 15.4%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 25.8% 13.8% 6.7%
Operating income growth (1Y) -5.3% 18.2% 33.5%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 16.3% 17.8% 35.4%
Net income growth (1Y) 50.4% 24.1% 64.4%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 35.6% 19.2% 31.0%
EPS growth (1Y) 25.8% 25.3% 52.8%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 27.1% 21.0% 30.7%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -110.8% 6.2% -1.6%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 30.9% 8.4% 20.7%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -717.8% 4.1% -13.3%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 2.3% 7.9% 22.9%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricACMRKLACMKSI
Gross margin 43.8% 61.5% 47.0%
EBITDA margin 15.4% 45.4% 24.0%
Operating margin 13.3% 42.6% 15.7%
Pretax margin 22.7% 42.2% 11.2%
Net margin 14.5% 36.2% 10.1%
FCF margin -11.4% 27.8% 10.5%
Operating cash flow margin -0.6% 31.1% 14.6%
Return on equity 9.3% 81.7% 15.2%
Return on assets 6.5% 28.9% 5.0%
Return on invested capital 4.7% 43.4% 8.9%
Return on capital employed 5.6% 45.4% 10.6%
Asset turnover 0.3x 0.8x 0.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 0.0x 0.9x 1.4x
Stock comp / revenue 2.5% 2.2% 1.3%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricACMRKLACMKSI
Debt / assets 10.0% 31.1% 44.1%
Debt / equity 0.1x 0.9x 1.3x
Net debt / EBITDA -4.6x 0.6x 3.2x
Debt / FCF -2.9x 1.4x 8.7x
Liabilities / assets 29.2% 64.6% 66.6%
Equity / assets 70.8% 35.4% 33.4%
Interest coverage 18.1x 22.0x 3.7x
Current ratio 3.7x 2.8x 1.1x
Quick ratio 2.1x 1.0x 0.6x
Cash ratio 1.4x 0.3x 0.3x
Altman Z-score 3.29 13.74 2.40

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricACMRKLACMKSI
Dividend yield – 0.3% 0.4%
Net buyback yield -25.5% 1.2% –
Shareholder yield -25.5% 1.5% 0.4%
Payout ratio (earnings) – 21.1% 14.4%
Payout ratio (FCF) – 27.5% 13.8%
Dividend growth (1Y) – 15.7% 6.8%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – 15.2% 3.4%

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.

ConsensusACMRKLACMKSI
Forward P/E 21.6xFY2026 29.5xFY2027 16.0xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $2.28FY2026 $5.67FY2027 $13.48FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +41.6%FY2026 +50.8%FY2027 +71.1%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +44.3% +16.6% +34.9%
Revenue, next fiscal year $1.15BFY2026 $19.18BFY2027 $5.43BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +27.1%FY2026 +41.2%FY2027 +38.1%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +38.4% +8.6% +8.0%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersACMRKLACMKSI
Held by institutions 75.0% 91.0% 100.0%
Institutions holding 376 2,479 776
Change in shares held, QoQ +9.2% +4.2% +2.8%
Institutions buying 246 1,285 455
Institutions selling 90 983 253
Buyers to sellers 2.73 1.31 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.

ACMRKLACMKSI
ACMR 1.00 0.62 0.69
KLAC 0.62 1.00 0.79
MKSI 0.69 0.79 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, ACMR, KLAC and MKSI?

Kla (KLAC) is the largest by market capitalisation: ACM Research (ACMR) $3.06B, Kla (KLAC) $205.56B, Mks (MKSI) $13.55B.

Which stock is cheaper, ACMR, KLAC and MKSI?

ACM Research (ACMR) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (ACM Research (ACMR) 20.4x, Kla (KLAC) 39.1x, Mks (MKSI) 30.8x). On next year's consensus earnings, Mks (MKSI) is cheapest (ACM Research (ACMR) 21.6x, Kla (KLAC) 29.5x, Mks (MKSI) 16.0x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

ACM Research (ACMR) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: ACM Research (ACMR) +27.3%, Kla (KLAC) +15.8%, Mks (MKSI) +16.3%.

Which company is more profitable?

Kla (KLAC) has the highest net margin (ACM Research (ACMR) 14.5%, Kla (KLAC) 36.2%, Mks (MKSI) 10.1%). On return on invested capital, Kla (KLAC) leads (ACM Research (ACMR) 4.7%, Kla (KLAC) 43.4%, Mks (MKSI) 8.9%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Mks (MKSI) returned the most: ACM Research (ACMR) +16.9%, Kla (KLAC) +35.5%, Mks (MKSI) +52.9%. Over five years, Kla (KLAC) compounded fastest (ACM Research (ACMR) +6.9%/yr, Kla (KLAC) +35.1%/yr, Mks (MKSI) +7.6%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Kla (KLAC) has the highest dividend yield: ACM Research (ACMR) 0.00%, Kla (KLAC) 0.01%, Mks (MKSI) 0.00%. ACM Research (ACMR) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Kla (KLAC) has been the steadiest (ACM Research (ACMR) 87.9%, Kla (KLAC) 61.7%, Mks (MKSI) 61.8%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, ACMR, KLAC 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, Kla (KLAC) 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.