AMAT vs KLAC Stock Comparison

Applied Materials and Kla Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
AMAT Applied Materials Inc /De
$377.24 -20.5% 1M +65.1% 1Y
Market cap
$310.17B
P/E
33.5x
Revenue (TTM)
$30.84B
Div. yield
–
Semiconductor Equipment Technology
6 wins
KLAC Kla Corp
$145.61 -22.5% 1M +25.6% 1Y
Market cap
$196.67B
P/E
40.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$13.58B
Div. yield
0.01%
Semiconductor Equipment Technology
5 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Applied Materials leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Applied Materials 6, Kla 5). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionAMATKLACLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $310.17B $196.67B AMAT
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 33.5x 40.7x AMAT
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 27.9x 25.7x KLAC
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +7.8% +11.7% KLAC
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 30.1% 35.6% KLAC
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 25.3% 40.7% KLAC
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA -0.3x 0.7x AMAT
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.01% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +65.1% +25.6% AMAT
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +22.7%/yr +33.6%/yr KLAC
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 60.4% 61.4% AMAT
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 60/100 59/100 AMAT

Percentile Scorecard

AMATKLAC

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

AxisAMATKLAC
Valuation 55 #43 of 95 38 #59 of 95
Growth 49 #48 of 93 54 #43 of 93
Profitability 89 #11 of 91 97 #4 of 91
Financial Health 52 #50 of 102 21 #81 of 102
Shareholder Returns 53 #36 of 76 84 #13 of 76
Overall 60 59
  • AMAT ranked among 104 companies in Semiconductors
  • KLAC ranked among 104 companies in Semiconductors

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodAMATKLACSPY
1 month -20.5%-22.5% -1.0%
3 months -29.7%-30.8% +2.9%
6 months -9.5%-24.7% +6.4%
Year to date +46.8%+19.8% +11.4%
1 year +65.1%+25.6% +13.1%
3 years +179.6%+209.6% +79.4%
3 years, per year +40.9%+45.8% +21.5%
5 years +177.5%+324.5% +67.7%
5 years, per year +22.7%+33.6% +10.9%
10 years +1,226.9%+1,877.3% +255.2%
10 years, per year +29.5%+34.8% +13.5%

Risk

MeasureAMATKLACSPY
Volatility, 1Y 60.4%61.4% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 62.2%65.4% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 2.742.79 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 1.080.42 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -55.4%-51.7% -25.4%
From 52-week high -47.8%-51.7% -2.5%
52-week high $723.00$301.71 $779.14
52-week low $220.23$109.71 $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.

MultipleAMATKLAC
P/E now vs peer median 32.3xmedian 41.5x 39.5xmedian 41.5x
P/S now vs peer median 9.7xmedian 6.9x 14.0xmedian 6.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 30.7xmedian 27.3x 32.1xmedian 27.3x
P/FCF now vs peer median 53.2xmedian 35.6x 50.5xmedian 35.6x
P/B now vs peer median 11.7xmedian 4.2x 30.0xmedian 4.2x
PEG now vs peer median 2.17median 2.31 2.66median 2.31

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 monthsAMATKLAC
Revenue $30.84B $13.58B
Gross profit $15.23B $8.32B
Operating income $9.14B $5.66B
Net income $9.27B $4.83B
Free cash flow $5.62B $3.77B
R&D $3.97B $1.53B
EPS (diluted) $11.58 $3.66
Cash & equivalents $7.04B $1.65B
Total debt $26.11B $5.89B
Shares (diluted) 800.00M 1.32B
Enterprise value $275.61B $188.83B

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
MetricAMATKLAC
P/E 32.3x 39.5x
P/FCF 53.2x 50.5x
P/Operating cash flow 35.7x 45.9x
P/S 9.7x 14.0x
P/B 11.7x 30.0x
P/Tangible book 11.8x 31.2x
EV/EBITDA 30.7x 32.1x
EV/EBIT 32.5x 34.4x
EV/Revenue 9.6x 14.3x
EV/FCF 52.8x 51.6x
EV/Operating cash flow 35.3x 47.0x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 2.17 2.66

Growth

14 metrics
MetricAMATKLAC
Revenue growth (1Y) 7.8% 11.7%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 5.1% 9.0%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 9.8% 12.4%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 7.3% 9.9%
Operating income growth (1Y) 6.0% 12.9%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 6.0% 12.3%
Net income growth (1Y) 35.6% 18.9%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 12.9% 12.6%
EPS growth (1Y) 36.0% 20.5%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 14.9% 14.9%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 9.0% 1.5%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 1.6% 4.1%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -3.4% 0.5%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -7.0% 4.2%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricAMATKLAC
Gross margin 49.4% 61.3%
EBITDA margin 31.4% 44.6%
Operating margin 29.6% 41.7%
Pretax margin 34.8% 41.3%
Net margin 30.1% 35.6%
FCF margin 18.2% 27.7%
Operating cash flow margin 27.2% 30.5%
Return on equity 37.4% 79.3%
Return on assets 22.1% 27.7%
Return on invested capital 25.3% 40.7%
Return on capital employed 29.0% 43.2%
Asset turnover 0.7x 0.8x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 0.9x 0.9x
Stock comp / revenue 2.3% 2.3%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricAMATKLAC
Debt / assets 15.0% 32.8%
Debt / equity 0.3x 0.9x
Net debt / EBITDA -0.3x 0.7x
Debt / FCF 1.2x 1.6x
Liabilities / assets 41.1% 64.6%
Equity / assets 58.9% 35.4%
Interest coverage 33.0x 19.9x
Current ratio 2.4x 2.9x
Quick ratio 1.6x 1.1x
Cash ratio 0.9x 0.4x
Altman Z-score 13.82 12.47

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricAMATKLAC
Dividend yield 0.5% 0.6%
Net buyback yield 0.6% 1.1%
Shareholder yield 1.2% 1.7%
Payout ratio (earnings) – 21.9%
Payout ratio (FCF) – 28.1%
Dividend growth (1Y) – 17.2%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – 13.1%

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.

ConsensusAMATKLAC
Forward P/E 27.9xFY2026 25.7xFY2027
EPS, next fiscal year $13.51FY2026 $5.67FY2027
EPS growth, next FY +43.4%FY2026 +50.8%FY2027
EPS growth, the year after +32.3% +16.8%
Revenue, next fiscal year $32.74BFY2026 $19.18BFY2027
Revenue growth, next FY +15.4%FY2026 +41.2%FY2027
Revenue growth, the year after +38.0% +8.6%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersAMATKLAC
Held by institutions 83.6% 91.0%
Institutions holding 3,504 2,478
Change in shares held, QoQ +6.0% +4.2%
Institutions buying 1,789 1,285
Institutions selling 1,348 982
Buyers to sellers 1.33 1.31

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.

AMATKLAC
AMAT 1.00 0.88
KLAC 0.88 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, AMAT and KLAC?

Applied Materials (AMAT) is the largest by market capitalisation: Applied Materials (AMAT) $310.17B, Kla (KLAC) $196.67B.

Which stock is cheaper, AMAT and KLAC?

Applied Materials (AMAT) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Applied Materials (AMAT) 33.5x, Kla (KLAC) 40.7x). On next year's consensus earnings, Kla (KLAC) is cheapest (Applied Materials (AMAT) 27.9x, Kla (KLAC) 25.7x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Kla (KLAC) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Applied Materials (AMAT) +7.8%, Kla (KLAC) +11.7%.

Which company is more profitable?

Kla (KLAC) has the highest net margin (Applied Materials (AMAT) 30.1%, Kla (KLAC) 35.6%). On return on invested capital, Kla (KLAC) leads (Applied Materials (AMAT) 25.3%, Kla (KLAC) 40.7%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Applied Materials (AMAT) returned the most: Applied Materials (AMAT) +65.1%, Kla (KLAC) +25.6%. Over five years, Kla (KLAC) compounded fastest (Applied Materials (AMAT) +22.7%/yr, Kla (KLAC) +33.6%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Applied Materials (AMAT) 0.00%, Kla (KLAC) 0.01%. Applied Materials (AMAT) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Applied Materials (AMAT) has been the steadiest (Applied Materials (AMAT) 60.4%, Kla (KLAC) 61.4%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Do AMAT and KLAC move together?

Their daily returns over the past year have a correlation of 0.88, a strong positive relationship. Holding both adds little diversification.

Which is the better stock, AMAT and KLAC?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Applied Materials (AMAT) leads on 6. 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.