AMAT vs KLIC vs VECO Stock Comparison

Applied Materials, Kulicke & Soffa Industries and Veeco Instruments Prices as of Oct 28, 2026 Peers: Industry group
AMAT Applied Materials Inc /De
$416.00 -14.5% 1M +82.7% 1Y
Market cap
$330.14B
P/E
35.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$30.84B
Div. yield
0.48%
Semiconductor Equipment Technology
5 wins
VECO Veeco Instruments Inc
$43.84 -10.7% 1M +51.3% 1Y
Market cap
$2.68B
P/E
115.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$682.72M
Div. yield
–
Semiconductor Equipment Technology
1 win

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Kulicke & Soffa Industries leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Kulicke & Soffa Industries 6, Applied Materials 5, Veeco Instruments 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionAMATKLICVECOLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $330.14B $4.16B $2.68B AMAT
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 35.6x 35.9x 115.2x AMAT
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 30.8x 19.5x 30.0x KLIC
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +7.8% +44.4% -2.5% KLIC
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 30.1% 12.2% 3.4% AMAT
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 25.3% — 1.6% AMAT
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA -0.3x — -5.2x VECO
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.48% 1.01% — KLIC
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +82.7% +93.8% +51.3% KLIC
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +25.0%/yr +6.9%/yr +12.5%/yr AMAT
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 60.6% 58.9% 70.8% KLIC
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 57/100 57/100 40/100 KLIC

Percentile Scorecard

AMATKLICVECO

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

AxisAMATKLICVECO
Valuation 52 #46 of 94 62 #36 of 94 72 #27 of 94
Growth 44 #52 of 92 66 #32 of 92 17 #77 of 92
Profitability 89 #11 of 90 58 #38 of 90 36 #58 of 90
Financial Health 48 #52 of 99 58 #42 of 99 49 #51 of 99
Shareholder Returns 51 #36 of 73 42 #43 of 73 26 #54 of 73
Overall 57 57 40
  • AMAT ranked among 103 companies in Semiconductors
  • KLIC ranked among 103 companies in Semiconductors
  • VECO ranked among 103 companies in Semiconductors

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodAMATKLICVECOSPY
1 month -14.5%-13.4%-10.7% +0.9%
3 months -4.7%-4.1%+2.0% +5.9%
6 months +8.7%-5.1%-8.4% +8.5%
Year to date +61.9%+74.4%+53.4% +13.3%
1 year +82.7%+93.8%+51.3% +12.4%
3 years +216.8%+87.4%+81.5% +88.1%
3 years, per year +46.9%+23.3%+22.0% +23.5%
5 years +204.4%+39.4%+80.5% +68.2%
5 years, per year +25.0%+6.9%+12.5% +11.0%
10 years +1,351.5%+500.0%+99.7% +263.4%
10 years, per year +30.7%+19.6%+7.2% +13.8%

Risk

MeasureAMATKLICVECOSPY
Volatility, 1Y 60.6%58.9%70.8% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 62.4%63.8%70.7% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 2.782.262.63 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 1.361.590.73 0.98
Max drawdown, 5Y -55.4%-59.5%-64.2% -25.4%
From 52-week high -42.5%-40.6%-47.2% -0.9%
52-week high $723.00$133.81$83.04 $779.14
52-week low $220.23$35.29$26.39 $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.

MultipleAMATKLICVECO
P/E now vs peer median 35.6xmedian 46.0x 35.9xmedian 46.0x 115.2xmedian 46.0x
P/S now vs peer median 10.7xmedian 7.9x 4.4xmedian 7.9x 3.9xmedian 7.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 33.9xmedian 28.3x 25.7xmedian 28.3x 63.0xmedian 28.3x
P/FCF now vs peer median 58.7xmedian 41.4x 101.1xmedian 41.4x 31.5xmedian 41.4x
P/B now vs peer median 12.9xmedian 4.6x 4.6xmedian 4.6x 3.0xmedian 4.6x
PEG now vs peer median 2.40median 2.30 4.45median 2.30 -3.28median 2.30

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 monthsAMATKLICVECO
Revenue $30.84B $950.21M $682.72M
Gross profit $15.23B $457.82M $258.88M
Operating income $9.14B $125.54M $18.38M
Net income $9.27B $115.74M $23.24M
Free cash flow $5.62B $41.13M $85.17M
R&D $3.97B $161.53M $122.79M
EPS (diluted) $11.58 $2.17 $0.35
Cash & equivalents $7.04B $368.57M $214.46M
Total debt $26.11B – $904.53M
Shares (diluted) 800.00M 53.43M 66.78M
Enterprise value $295.58B $2.16B $1.11B

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
MetricAMATKLICVECO
P/E 35.6x 35.9x 115.2x
P/FCF 58.7x 101.1x 31.5x
P/Operating cash flow 39.3x 75.4x 26.8x
P/S 10.7x 4.4x 3.9x
P/B 12.9x 4.6x 3.0x
P/Tangible book 13.0x 4.6x 3.0x
EV/EBITDA 33.9x 25.7x 63.0x
EV/EBIT 35.8x 29.0x 134.7x
EV/Revenue 10.6x 3.8x 3.6x
EV/FCF 58.2x 88.5x 29.1x
EV/Operating cash flow 39.0x 66.1x 24.8x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 2.40 4.45 -3.28

Growth

14 metrics
MetricAMATKLICVECO
Revenue growth (1Y) 7.8% 44.4% -2.5%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 5.1% 4.8% 2.1%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 9.8% 61.0% -10.9%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 7.3% 5.0% -0.4%
Operating income growth (1Y) 6.0% 8,922% -66.4%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 6.0% 12.8% -30.4%
Net income growth (1Y) 35.6% 1,845% -61.6%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 12.9% 5.5% -29.9%
EPS growth (1Y) 36.0% 1,818% -65.4%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 14.9% 8.1% -35.1%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 9.0% -59.7% 33.0%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 1.6% -36.2% -1.8%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -3.4% -65.7% 53.4%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -7.0% -37.0% -0.1%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricAMATKLICVECO
Gross margin 49.4% 48.2% 37.9%
EBITDA margin 31.4% 14.9% 5.8%
Operating margin 29.6% 13.2% 2.7%
Pretax margin 34.8% 15.2% 3.4%
Net margin 30.1% 12.2% 3.4%
FCF margin 18.2% 4.3% 12.5%
Operating cash flow margin 27.2% 5.8% 14.6%
Return on equity 37.4% 13.1% 2.6%
Return on assets 22.1% 9.2% 1.7%
Return on invested capital 25.3% – 1.6%
Return on capital employed 29.0% 13.5% 1.6%
Asset turnover 0.7x 0.8x 0.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 0.9x 0.5x 4.3x
Stock comp / revenue 2.3% 2.9% 5.3%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricAMATKLICVECO
Debt / assets 15.0% – 16.0%
Debt / equity 0.3x – 0.3x
Net debt / EBITDA -0.3x – -5.2x
Debt / FCF 1.2x – 2.7x
Liabilities / assets 41.1% 30.9% 36.2%
Equity / assets 58.9% 69.1% 63.8%
Interest coverage 33.0x 836.9x 2.1x
Current ratio 2.4x 3.4x 3.9x
Quick ratio 1.6x 2.6x 2.5x
Cash ratio 0.9x 1.6x 1.8x
Altman Z-score 14.85 9.23 3.85

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricAMATKLICVECO
Dividend yield 0.5% 1.0% –
Net buyback yield 0.6% 0.6% -0.1%
Shareholder yield 1.1% 1.6% -0.1%
Payout ratio (earnings) – 37.0% –
Payout ratio (FCF) – 104.2% –
Dividend growth (1Y) – -1.9% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – 1.2% –

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.

ConsensusAMATKLICVECO
Forward P/E 30.8xFY2026 19.5xFY2026 30.0xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $13.50FY2026 $4.07FY2026 $1.46FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +43.3%FY2026 +1,838.1%FY2026 +9.8%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +32.7% +38.6% +108.2%
Revenue, next fiscal year $32.74BFY2026 $1.19BFY2026 $753.17MFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +15.4%FY2026 +82.6%FY2026 +13.4%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +38.2% +24.1% +52.0%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersAMATKLICVECO
Held by institutions 83.6% 92.8% 100.0%
Institutions holding 3,506 464 327
Change in shares held, QoQ +6.0% +1.6% +3.5%
Institutions buying 1,790 267 207
Institutions selling 1,349 150 86
Buyers to sellers 1.33 1.78 2.41

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.

AMATKLICVECO
AMAT 1.00 0.68 0.64
KLIC 0.68 1.00 0.60
VECO 0.64 0.60 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, AMAT, KLIC and VECO?

Applied Materials (AMAT) is the largest by market capitalisation: Applied Materials (AMAT) $330.14B, Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) $4.16B, Veeco Instruments (VECO) $2.68B.

Which stock is cheaper, AMAT, KLIC and VECO?

Applied Materials (AMAT) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Applied Materials (AMAT) 35.6x, Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) 35.9x, Veeco Instruments (VECO) 115.2x). On next year's consensus earnings, Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) is cheapest (Applied Materials (AMAT) 30.8x, Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) 19.5x, Veeco Instruments (VECO) 30.0x). 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: Applied Materials (AMAT) +7.8%, Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) +44.4%, Veeco Instruments (VECO) -2.5%.

Which company is more profitable?

Applied Materials (AMAT) has the highest net margin (Applied Materials (AMAT) 30.1%, Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) 12.2%, Veeco Instruments (VECO) 3.4%). On return on invested capital, Applied Materials (AMAT) leads (Applied Materials (AMAT) 25.3%, Veeco Instruments (VECO) 1.6%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) returned the most: Applied Materials (AMAT) +82.7%, Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) +93.8%, Veeco Instruments (VECO) +51.3%. Over five years, Applied Materials (AMAT) compounded fastest (Applied Materials (AMAT) +25.0%/yr, Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) +6.9%/yr, Veeco Instruments (VECO) +12.5%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) has the highest dividend yield: Applied Materials (AMAT) 0.48%, Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) 1.01%. Veeco Instruments (VECO) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) has been the steadiest (Applied Materials (AMAT) 60.6%, Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) 58.9%, Veeco Instruments (VECO) 70.8%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, AMAT, KLIC and VECO?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) 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.