AMAT vs LRCX vs VECO Stock Comparison

Applied Materials, Lam Research and Veeco Instruments Prices as of Oct 29, 2026 Peers: Industry group
AMAT Applied Materials Inc /De
$421.66 -17.6% 1M +78.9% 1Y
Market cap
$334.63B
P/E
36.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$30.84B
Div. yield
0.47%
Semiconductor Equipment Technology
5 wins
LRCX Lam Research Corp
$254.39 -21.5% 1M +58.3% 1Y
Market cap
$317.77B
P/E
37.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$26.13B
Div. yield
0.44%
Semiconductor Equipment Technology
6 wins
VECO Veeco Instruments Inc
$42.80 -16.7% 1M +45.9% 1Y
Market cap
$2.62B
P/E
112.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$682.72M
Div. yield
–
Semiconductor Equipment Technology
1 win

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Lam Research leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Lam Research 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.

QuestionAMATLRCXVECOLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $334.63B $317.77B $2.62B AMAT
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 36.1x 37.7x 112.4x AMAT
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 31.2x 25.1x 29.3x LRCX
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +7.8% +33.4% -2.5% LRCX
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 30.1% 32.3% 3.4% LRCX
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 25.3% 49.6% 1.6% LRCX
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA -0.3x -0.4x -5.2x VECO
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.47% 0.44% — AMAT
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +78.9% +58.3% +45.9% AMAT
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +25.3%/yr +35.2%/yr +12.0%/yr LRCX
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 60.6% 65.7% 70.8% AMAT
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 56/100 66/100 39/100 LRCX

Percentile Scorecard

AMATLRCXVECO

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

AxisAMATLRCXVECO
Valuation 50 #48 of 94 47 #50 of 94 74 #25 of 94
Growth 45 #51 of 92 82 #17 of 92 17 #77 of 92
Profitability 89 #11 of 88 94 #6 of 88 35 #58 of 88
Financial Health 48 #50 of 96 45 #53 of 96 47 #51 of 96
Shareholder Returns 49 #37 of 72 62 #28 of 72 24 #55 of 72
Overall 56 66 39
  • AMAT ranked among 103 companies in Semiconductors
  • LRCX 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

PeriodAMATLRCXVECOSPY
1 month -17.6%-21.5%-16.7% +0.7%
3 months -16.0%-14.6%-11.5% +3.7%
6 months +6.9%-1.3%-14.1% +7.1%
Year to date +64.1%+48.6%+49.8% +12.8%
1 year +78.9%+58.3%+45.9% +11.9%
3 years +221.8%+336.0%+79.5% +85.2%
3 years, per year +47.7%+63.4%+21.6% +22.8%
5 years +208.6%+351.4%+76.2% +67.6%
5 years, per year +25.3%+35.2%+12.0% +10.9%
10 years +1,371.2%+2,544.4%+95.0% +262.0%
10 years, per year +30.9%+38.8%+6.9% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureAMATLRCXVECOSPY
Volatility, 1Y 60.6%65.7%70.8% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 62.4%65.3%70.5% 12.6%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 2.783.262.64 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 1.300.890.65 0.94
Max drawdown, 5Y -55.4%-56.8%-64.2% -25.4%
From 52-week high -41.7%-41.3%-48.5% -1.2%
52-week high $723.00$433.33$83.04 $779.14
52-week low $220.23$139.59$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.

MultipleAMATLRCXVECO
P/E now vs peer median 36.1xmedian 46.4x 37.7xmedian 46.4x 112.4xmedian 46.4x
P/S now vs peer median 10.9xmedian 7.8x 12.2xmedian 7.8x 3.8xmedian 7.8x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 34.3xmedian 27.5x 31.0xmedian 27.5x 61.4xmedian 27.5x
P/FCF now vs peer median 59.5xmedian 40.1x 48.6xmedian 40.1x 30.7xmedian 40.1x
P/B now vs peer median 13.1xmedian 4.7x 22.8xmedian 4.7x 2.9xmedian 4.7x
PEG now vs peer median 2.43median 2.10 1.21median 2.10 -3.20median 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 monthsAMATLRCXVECO
Revenue $30.84B $26.13B $682.72M
Gross profit $15.23B $13.34B $258.88M
Operating income $9.14B $9.65B $18.38M
Net income $9.27B $8.45B $23.24M
Free cash flow $5.62B $6.54B $85.17M
R&D $3.97B $2.47B $122.79M
EPS (diluted) $11.58 $6.73 $0.35
Cash & equivalents $7.04B $7.44B $214.46M
Total debt $26.11B $16.44B $904.53M
Shares (diluted) 800.00M 1.26B 66.78M
Enterprise value $300.07B $293.82B $1.04B

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
MetricAMATLRCXVECO
P/E 36.1x 37.7x 112.4x
P/FCF 59.5x 48.6x 30.7x
P/Operating cash flow 39.9x 41.9x 26.2x
P/S 10.9x 12.2x 3.8x
P/B 13.1x 22.8x 2.9x
P/Tangible book 13.2x 22.8x 2.9x
EV/EBITDA 34.3x 31.0x 61.4x
EV/EBIT 36.3x 32.5x 131.3x
EV/Revenue 10.8x 12.0x 3.5x
EV/FCF 59.0x 48.0x 28.3x
EV/Operating cash flow 39.5x 41.5x 24.2x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 2.43 1.21 -3.20

Growth

14 metrics
MetricAMATLRCXVECO
Revenue growth (1Y) 7.8% 33.4% -2.5%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 5.1% 18.2% 2.1%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 9.8% 38.1% -10.9%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 7.3% 23.4% -0.4%
Operating income growth (1Y) 6.0% 49.3% -66.4%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 6.0% 29.0% -30.4%
Net income growth (1Y) 35.6% 45.4% -61.6%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 12.9% 28.6% -29.9%
EPS growth (1Y) 36.0% 47.0% -65.4%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 14.9% 31.1% -35.1%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 9.0% 18.7% 33.0%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 1.6% 15.3% -1.8%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -3.4% 17.8% 53.4%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -7.0% 13.2% -0.1%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricAMATLRCXVECO
Gross margin 49.4% 51.1% 37.9%
EBITDA margin 31.4% 38.7% 5.8%
Operating margin 29.6% 37.0% 2.7%
Pretax margin 34.8% 37.2% 3.4%
Net margin 30.1% 32.3% 3.4%
FCF margin 18.2% 25.0% 12.5%
Operating cash flow margin 27.2% 29.0% 14.6%
Return on equity 37.4% 64.1% 2.6%
Return on assets 22.1% 33.9% 1.7%
Return on invested capital 25.3% 49.6% 1.6%
Return on capital employed 29.0% 54.8% 1.6%
Asset turnover 0.7x 1.0x 0.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 0.9x 0.9x 4.3x
Stock comp / revenue 2.3% 1.5% 5.3%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricAMATLRCXVECO
Debt / assets 15.0% 14.2% 16.0%
Debt / equity 0.3x 0.3x 0.3x
Net debt / EBITDA -0.3x -0.4x -5.2x
Debt / FCF 1.2x 0.6x 2.7x
Liabilities / assets 41.1% 47.2% 36.2%
Equity / assets 58.9% 52.8% 63.8%
Interest coverage 33.0x – 2.1x
Current ratio 2.4x 2.5x 3.9x
Quick ratio 1.6x 1.8x 2.5x
Cash ratio 0.9x 1.0x 1.8x
Altman Z-score 15.00 19.99 3.77

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricAMATLRCXVECO
Dividend yield 0.5% 0.4% –
Net buyback yield 0.6% 1.2% -0.1%
Shareholder yield 1.0% 1.6% -0.1%
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.

ConsensusAMATLRCXVECO
Forward P/E 31.2xFY2026 25.1xFY2027 29.3xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $13.50FY2026 $10.12FY2027 $1.46FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +43.3%FY2026 +73.9%FY2027 +9.8%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +32.7% +12.6% +108.2%
Revenue, next fiscal year $32.74BFY2026 $32.96BFY2027 $753.17MFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +15.4%FY2026 +41.9%FY2027 +13.4%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +38.2% +25.0% +52.0%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersAMATLRCXVECO
Held by institutions 83.6% 85.6% 100.0%
Institutions holding 3,507 3,133 328
Change in shares held, QoQ +6.0% +6.2% +3.5%
Institutions buying 1,790 1,697 208
Institutions selling 1,350 1,163 86
Buyers to sellers 1.33 1.46 2.42

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.

AMATLRCXVECO
AMAT 1.00 0.91 0.64
LRCX 0.91 1.00 0.65
VECO 0.64 0.65 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, AMAT, LRCX and VECO?

Applied Materials (AMAT) is the largest by market capitalisation: Applied Materials (AMAT) $334.63B, Lam Research (LRCX) $317.77B, Veeco Instruments (VECO) $2.62B.

Which stock is cheaper, AMAT, LRCX and VECO?

Applied Materials (AMAT) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Applied Materials (AMAT) 36.1x, Lam Research (LRCX) 37.7x, Veeco Instruments (VECO) 112.4x). On next year's consensus earnings, Lam Research (LRCX) is cheapest (Applied Materials (AMAT) 31.2x, Lam Research (LRCX) 25.1x, Veeco Instruments (VECO) 29.3x). 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: Applied Materials (AMAT) +7.8%, Lam Research (LRCX) +33.4%, Veeco Instruments (VECO) -2.5%.

Which company is more profitable?

Lam Research (LRCX) has the highest net margin (Applied Materials (AMAT) 30.1%, Lam Research (LRCX) 32.3%, Veeco Instruments (VECO) 3.4%). On return on invested capital, Lam Research (LRCX) leads (Applied Materials (AMAT) 25.3%, Lam Research (LRCX) 49.6%, Veeco Instruments (VECO) 1.6%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Applied Materials (AMAT) returned the most: Applied Materials (AMAT) +78.9%, Lam Research (LRCX) +58.3%, Veeco Instruments (VECO) +45.9%. Over five years, Lam Research (LRCX) compounded fastest (Applied Materials (AMAT) +25.3%/yr, Lam Research (LRCX) +35.2%/yr, Veeco Instruments (VECO) +12.0%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Applied Materials (AMAT) has the highest dividend yield: Applied Materials (AMAT) 0.47%, Lam Research (LRCX) 0.44%. Veeco Instruments (VECO) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Applied Materials (AMAT) has been the steadiest (Applied Materials (AMAT) 60.6%, Lam Research (LRCX) 65.7%, Veeco Instruments (VECO) 70.8%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, AMAT, LRCX 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, Lam Research (LRCX) 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.