AMAT vs MKSI vs KLIC Stock Comparison

Applied Materials, Mks and Kulicke & Soffa Industries Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
AMAT Applied Materials Inc /De
$377.24 -20.5% 1M +65.1% 1Y
Market cap
$307.82B
P/E
33.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$30.84B
Div. yield
–
Semiconductor Equipment Technology
6 wins
MKSI Mks Inc
$196.55 -25.2% 1M +39.7% 1Y
Market cap
$13.68B
P/E
31.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$4.35B
Div. yield
0.00%
Semiconductor Equipment Technology
2 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Applied Materials leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Applied Materials 6, Kulicke & Soffa Industries 4, Mks 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionAMATMKSIKLICLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $307.82B $13.68B $3.95B AMAT
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 33.2x 31.1x 34.1x MKSI
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 27.9x 14.6x 18.1x MKSI
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +7.8% +16.3% +44.4% KLIC
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 30.1% 10.1% 12.2% AMAT
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 25.3% 8.9% — AMAT
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA -0.3x 3.2x — AMAT
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.01% KLIC
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +65.1% +39.7% +83.5% KLIC
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +22.7%/yr +6.3%/yr +6.0%/yr AMAT
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 60.4% 61.6% 58.7% KLIC
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 60/100 55/100 57/100 AMAT

Percentile Scorecard

AMATMKSIKLIC

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

AxisAMATMKSIKLIC
Valuation 55 #43 of 95 77 #23 of 95 63 #36 of 95
Growth 49 #48 of 93 73 #26 of 93 67 #31 of 93
Profitability 89 #11 of 91 63 #34 of 91 57 #40 of 91
Financial Health 52 #50 of 102 1 #101 of 102 60 #41 of 102
Shareholder Returns 53 #36 of 76 63 #29 of 76 40 #46 of 76
Overall 60 55 57
  • AMAT ranked among 104 companies in Semiconductors
  • MKSI ranked among 104 companies in Semiconductors
  • KLIC ranked among 104 companies in Semiconductors

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodAMATMKSIKLICSPY
1 month -20.5%-25.2%-18.9% -1.0%
3 months -29.7%-40.3%-27.3% +2.9%
6 months -9.5%-30.0%-16.0% +6.4%
Year to date +46.8%+23.0%+61.8% +11.4%
1 year +65.1%+39.7%+83.5% +13.1%
3 years +179.6%+170.3%+74.3% +79.4%
3 years, per year +40.9%+39.3%+20.4% +21.5%
5 years +177.5%+35.8%+33.7% +67.7%
5 years, per year +22.7%+6.3%+6.0% +10.9%
10 years +1,226.9%+305.7%+450.1% +255.2%
10 years, per year +29.5%+15.0%+18.6% +13.5%

Risk

MeasureAMATMKSIKLICSPY
Volatility, 1Y 60.4%61.6%58.7% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 62.2%66.0%63.8% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 2.742.792.22 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 1.080.651.42 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -55.4%-67.5%-59.5% -25.4%
From 52-week high -47.8%-55.8%-44.9% -2.5%
52-week high $723.00$444.80$133.81 $779.14
52-week low $220.23$137.20$35.29 $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.

MultipleAMATMKSIKLIC
P/E now vs peer median 32.3xmedian 41.5x 30.2xmedian 41.5x 33.3xmedian 41.5x
P/S now vs peer median 9.7xmedian 6.9x 3.1xmedian 6.9x 4.1xmedian 6.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 30.7xmedian 27.3x 15.9xmedian 27.3x 23.6xmedian 27.3x
P/FCF now vs peer median 53.2xmedian 35.6x 29.2xmedian 35.6x 93.8xmedian 35.6x
P/B now vs peer median 11.7xmedian 4.2x 4.4xmedian 4.2x 4.2xmedian 4.2x
PEG now vs peer median 2.17median 2.31 0.98median 2.31 4.13median 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 monthsAMATMKSIKLIC
Revenue $30.84B $4.35B $950.21M
Gross profit $15.23B $2.04B $457.82M
Operating income $9.14B $681.00M $125.54M
Net income $9.27B $439.00M $115.74M
Free cash flow $5.62B $455.00M $41.13M
R&D $3.97B $310.00M $161.53M
EPS (diluted) $11.58 $6.05 $2.17
Cash & equivalents $7.04B $611.00M $368.57M
Total debt $26.11B $3.94B –
Shares (diluted) 800.00M 72.70M 53.43M
Enterprise value $273.26B $11.12B $1.95B

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
MetricAMATMKSIKLIC
P/E 32.3x 30.2x 33.3x
P/FCF 53.2x 29.2x 93.8x
P/Operating cash flow 35.7x 20.9x 70.0x
P/S 9.7x 3.1x 4.1x
P/B 11.7x 4.4x 4.2x
P/Tangible book 11.8x 13.7x 4.3x
EV/EBITDA 30.7x 15.9x 23.6x
EV/EBIT 32.5x 24.4x 26.6x
EV/Revenue 9.6x 3.8x 3.5x
EV/FCF 52.8x 36.5x 81.2x
EV/Operating cash flow 35.3x 26.2x 60.6x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 2.17 0.98 4.13

Growth

14 metrics
MetricAMATMKSIKLIC
Revenue growth (1Y) 7.8% 16.3% 44.4%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 5.1% 4.2% 4.8%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 9.8% 15.4% 61.0%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 7.3% 6.7% 5.0%
Operating income growth (1Y) 6.0% 33.5% 8,922%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 6.0% 35.4% 12.8%
Net income growth (1Y) 35.6% 64.4% 1,845%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 12.9% 31.0% 5.5%
EPS growth (1Y) 36.0% 52.8% 1,818%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 14.9% 30.7% 8.1%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 9.0% -1.6% -59.7%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 1.6% 20.7% -36.2%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -3.4% -13.3% -65.7%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -7.0% 22.9% -37.0%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricAMATMKSIKLIC
Gross margin 49.4% 47.0% 48.2%
EBITDA margin 31.4% 24.0% 14.9%
Operating margin 29.6% 15.7% 13.2%
Pretax margin 34.8% 11.2% 15.2%
Net margin 30.1% 10.1% 12.2%
FCF margin 18.2% 10.5% 4.3%
Operating cash flow margin 27.2% 14.6% 5.8%
Return on equity 37.4% 15.2% 13.1%
Return on assets 22.1% 5.0% 9.2%
Return on invested capital 25.3% 8.9% –
Return on capital employed 29.0% 10.6% 13.5%
Asset turnover 0.7x 0.5x 0.8x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 0.9x 1.4x 0.5x
Stock comp / revenue 2.3% 1.3% 2.9%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricAMATMKSIKLIC
Debt / assets 15.0% 44.1% –
Debt / equity 0.3x 1.3x –
Net debt / EBITDA -0.3x 3.2x –
Debt / FCF 1.2x 8.7x –
Liabilities / assets 41.1% 66.6% 30.9%
Equity / assets 58.9% 33.4% 69.1%
Interest coverage 33.0x 3.7x 836.9x
Current ratio 2.4x 1.1x 3.4x
Quick ratio 1.6x 0.6x 2.6x
Cash ratio 0.9x 0.3x 1.6x
Altman Z-score 13.82 2.27 8.79

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricAMATMKSIKLIC
Dividend yield 0.5% 0.5% 1.1%
Net buyback yield 0.6% – 0.6%
Shareholder yield 1.2% 0.5% 1.7%
Payout ratio (earnings) – 14.4% 37.0%
Payout ratio (FCF) – 13.8% 104.2%
Dividend growth (1Y) – 6.8% -1.9%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – 3.4% 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.

ConsensusAMATMKSIKLIC
Forward P/E 27.9xFY2026 14.6xFY2026 18.1xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $13.51FY2026 $13.48FY2026 $4.07FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +43.4%FY2026 +71.1%FY2026 +1,838.1%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +32.3% +34.3% +38.6%
Revenue, next fiscal year $32.74BFY2026 $5.43BFY2026 $1.19BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +15.4%FY2026 +38.1%FY2026 +82.6%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +38.0% +7.6% +24.1%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersAMATMKSIKLIC
Held by institutions 83.6% 100.0% 92.8%
Institutions holding 3,504 775 464
Change in shares held, QoQ +6.0% +2.8% +1.6%
Institutions buying 1,789 455 267
Institutions selling 1,348 252 150
Buyers to sellers 1.33 1.81 1.78

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.

AMATMKSIKLIC
AMAT 1.00 0.82 0.67
MKSI 0.82 1.00 0.74
KLIC 0.67 0.74 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, AMAT, MKSI and KLIC?

Applied Materials (AMAT) is the largest by market capitalisation: Applied Materials (AMAT) $307.82B, Mks (MKSI) $13.68B, Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) $3.95B.

Which stock is cheaper, AMAT, MKSI and KLIC?

Mks (MKSI) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Applied Materials (AMAT) 33.2x, Mks (MKSI) 31.1x, Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) 34.1x). On next year's consensus earnings, Mks (MKSI) is cheapest (Applied Materials (AMAT) 27.9x, Mks (MKSI) 14.6x, Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) 18.1x). 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%, Mks (MKSI) +16.3%, Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) +44.4%.

Which company is more profitable?

Applied Materials (AMAT) has the highest net margin (Applied Materials (AMAT) 30.1%, Mks (MKSI) 10.1%, Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) 12.2%). On return on invested capital, Applied Materials (AMAT) leads (Applied Materials (AMAT) 25.3%, Mks (MKSI) 8.9%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) returned the most: Applied Materials (AMAT) +65.1%, Mks (MKSI) +39.7%, Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) +83.5%. Over five years, Applied Materials (AMAT) compounded fastest (Applied Materials (AMAT) +22.7%/yr, Mks (MKSI) +6.3%/yr, Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) +6.0%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) has the highest dividend yield: Applied Materials (AMAT) 0.00%, Mks (MKSI) 0.00%, Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) 0.01%. Applied Materials (AMAT) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) has been the steadiest (Applied Materials (AMAT) 60.4%, Mks (MKSI) 61.6%, Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) 58.7%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

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.