KLAC vs MKSI vs AMAT Stock Comparison

Kla, Mks and Applied Materials Prices as of Nov 5, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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KLAC Kla Corp
$129.80 -34.3% 1M +5.8% 1Y
Market cap
$180.03B
P/E
34.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$14.51B
Div. yield
0.01%
Semiconductor Equipment Technology
4 wins
MKSI Mks Inc
$176.63 -37.2% 1M +26.2% 1Y
Market cap
$13.01B
P/E
21.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$4.77B
Div. yield
0.01%
Semiconductor Equipment Technology
4 wins
AMAT Applied Materials Inc /De
$319.25 -39.8% 1M +32.5% 1Y
Market cap
$264.14B
P/E
28.5x
Revenue (TTM)
$30.84B
Div. yield
–
Semiconductor Equipment Technology
4 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

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

QuestionKLACMKSIAMATLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $180.03B $13.01B $264.14B AMAT
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 34.2x 21.6x 28.5x MKSI
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 22.9x 13.1x 23.6x MKSI
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +15.8% +24.6% +7.8% MKSI
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 36.2% 12.6% 30.1% KLAC
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 43.4% 10.8% 25.3% KLAC
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.6x 2.5x -0.3x AMAT
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.01% 0.01% 0.00% KLAC
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +5.8% +26.2% +32.5% AMAT
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +25.5%/yr +2.0%/yr +15.8%/yr KLAC
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 63.7% 63.0% 62.9% AMAT
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 60/100 61/100 56/100 MKSI

Percentile Scorecard

KLACMKSIAMAT

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

AxisKLACMKSIAMAT
Valuation 42 #55 of 94 82 #18 of 94 53 #45 of 94
Growth 51 #46 of 92 84 #16 of 92 35 #60 of 92
Profitability 97 #4 of 90 63 #34 of 90 89 #11 of 90
Financial Health 21 #80 of 101 1 #100 of 101 47 #54 of 101
Shareholder Returns 88 #11 of 81 74 #22 of 81 55 #37 of 81
Overall 60 61 56
  • KLAC ranked among 103 companies in Semiconductors
  • MKSI ranked among 103 companies in Semiconductors
  • AMAT ranked among 103 companies in Semiconductors

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodKLACMKSIAMATSPY
1 month -34.3%-37.2%-39.8% -5.9%
3 months -32.8%-39.4%-39.5% -4.6%
6 months -26.4%-41.3%-22.3% +0.2%
Year to date +6.8%+10.5%+24.2% +7.5%
1 year +5.8%+26.2%+32.5% +8.2%
3 years +160.2%+160.2%+127.5% +68.3%
3 years, per year +37.6%+37.6%+31.5% +19.0%
5 years +211.5%+10.2%+108.3% +56.5%
5 years, per year +25.5%+2.0%+15.8% +9.4%
10 years +1,641.8%+263.4%+1,031.3% +251.5%
10 years, per year +33.1%+13.8%+27.5% +13.4%

Risk

MeasureKLACMKSIAMATSPY
Volatility, 1Y 63.7%63.0%62.9% 13.6%
Downside volatility, 1Y 69.6%67.5%67.0% 14.2%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 2.782.682.81 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.090.420.52 0.60
Max drawdown, 5Y -57.0%-67.5%-55.8% -25.4%
From 52-week high -57.0%-60.3%-55.8% -5.9%
52-week high $301.71$444.80$723.00 $779.14
52-week low $109.71$138.49$220.23 $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.

MultipleKLACMKSIAMAT
P/E now vs peer median 32.2xmedian 35.6x 19.9xmedian 35.6x 27.4xmedian 35.6x
P/S now vs peer median 11.7xmedian 5.8x 2.5xmedian 5.8x 8.2xmedian 5.8x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 26.3xmedian 21.9x 12.2xmedian 21.9x 25.9xmedian 21.9x
P/FCF now vs peer median 41.9xmedian 30.7x 21.6xmedian 30.7x 45.1xmedian 30.7x
P/B now vs peer median 25.9xmedian 3.5x 3.6xmedian 3.5x 9.9xmedian 3.5x
PEG now vs peer median 1.53median 1.25 0.61median 1.25 1.84median 1.25

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 monthsKLACMKSIAMAT
Revenue $14.51B $4.77B $30.84B
Gross profit $8.92B $2.26B $15.23B
Operating income $6.19B $869.00M $9.14B
Net income $5.26B $602.00M $9.27B
Free cash flow $4.04B $552.00M $5.62B
R&D $1.57B $314.00M $3.97B
EPS (diluted) $4.01 $8.30 $11.58
Cash & equivalents $1.53B $676.00M $7.04B
Total debt $5.72B $3.78B $6.54B
Shares (diluted) 1.31B 72.50M 800.00M
Enterprise value $172.61B $10.48B $229.58B

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
MetricKLACMKSIAMAT
P/E 32.2x 19.9x 27.4x
P/FCF 41.9x 21.6x 45.1x
P/Operating cash flow 37.5x 16.4x 30.2x
P/S 11.7x 2.5x 8.2x
P/B 25.9x 3.6x 9.9x
P/Tangible book 26.8x 9.1x 10.0x
EV/EBITDA 26.3x 12.2x 25.9x
EV/EBIT 28.0x 17.3x 27.4x
EV/Revenue 11.9x 3.2x 8.1x
EV/FCF 42.9x 27.3x 44.6x
EV/Operating cash flow 38.4x 20.6x 29.9x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 1.53 0.61 1.84

Growth

14 metrics
MetricKLACMKSIAMAT
Revenue growth (1Y) 15.8% 24.6% 7.8%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 12.6% 7.7% 5.1%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 16.1% 25.3% 9.8%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 13.8% 9.5% 7.3%
Operating income growth (1Y) 18.2% 67.1% 6.0%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 17.8% 37.8% 6.0%
Net income growth (1Y) 24.1% 115.8% 35.6%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 19.2% 33.0% 12.9%
EPS growth (1Y) 25.3% 101.2% 36.0%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 21.0% 32.5% 14.9%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 6.2% 7.5% 9.0%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 8.4% 31.4% 1.6%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 4.1% 4.2% -3.4%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 7.9% 37.1% -7.0%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricKLACMKSIAMAT
Gross margin 61.5% 47.3% 49.4%
EBITDA margin 45.4% 25.8% 31.4%
Operating margin 42.6% 18.2% 29.6%
Pretax margin 42.2% 14.5% 34.8%
Net margin 36.2% 12.6% 30.1%
FCF margin 27.8% 11.6% 18.2%
Operating cash flow margin 31.1% 15.3% 27.2%
Return on equity 81.7% 19.2% 37.4%
Return on assets 28.9% 6.6% 22.1%
Return on invested capital 43.4% 10.8% 25.3%
Return on capital employed 45.4% 13.4% 29.0%
Asset turnover 0.8x 0.5x 0.7x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 0.9x 1.2x 0.9x
Stock comp / revenue 2.2% 1.2% 2.3%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricKLACMKSIAMAT
Debt / assets 31.1% 40.9% 15.0%
Debt / equity 0.9x 1.1x 0.3x
Net debt / EBITDA 0.6x 2.5x -0.3x
Debt / FCF 1.4x 6.8x 1.2x
Liabilities / assets 64.6% 64.4% 41.1%
Equity / assets 35.4% 35.6% 58.9%
Interest coverage 22.0x 5.1x 33.0x
Current ratio 2.8x 1.2x 2.4x
Quick ratio 1.0x 0.6x 1.6x
Cash ratio 0.3x 0.3x 0.9x
Altman Z-score 11.26 2.27 12.28

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricKLACMKSIAMAT
Dividend yield 0.4% 0.5% 0.6%
Net buyback yield 1.5% – 0.7%
Shareholder yield 1.9% 0.5% 1.4%
Payout ratio (earnings) 21.1% 11.0% –
Payout ratio (FCF) 27.5% 12.0% –
Dividend growth (1Y) 15.7% 11.9% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 15.2% 3.8% –

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.

ConsensusKLACMKSIAMAT
Forward P/E 22.9xFY2027 13.1xFY2026 23.6xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $5.67FY2027 $13.48FY2026 $13.50FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +50.8%FY2027 +71.1%FY2026 +43.3%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +16.6% +34.9% +32.7%
Revenue, next fiscal year $19.18BFY2027 $5.43BFY2026 $32.73BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +41.2%FY2027 +38.1%FY2026 +15.4%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +8.6% +8.0% +38.2%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersKLACMKSIAMAT
Held by institutions 91.0% 100.0% 83.6%
Institutions holding 2,483 778 3,511
Change in shares held, QoQ +4.2% +2.8% +6.0%
Institutions buying 1,287 455 1,791
Institutions selling 985 253 1,353
Buyers to sellers 1.31 1.80 1.32

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.

KLACMKSIAMAT
KLAC 1.00 0.82 0.88
MKSI 0.82 1.00 0.85
AMAT 0.88 0.85 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, KLAC, MKSI and AMAT?

Applied Materials (AMAT) is the largest by market capitalisation: Kla (KLAC) $180.03B, Mks (MKSI) $13.01B, Applied Materials (AMAT) $264.14B.

Which stock is cheaper, KLAC, MKSI and AMAT?

Mks (MKSI) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Kla (KLAC) 34.2x, Mks (MKSI) 21.6x, Applied Materials (AMAT) 28.5x). On next year's consensus earnings, Mks (MKSI) is cheapest (Kla (KLAC) 22.9x, Mks (MKSI) 13.1x, Applied Materials (AMAT) 23.6x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Mks (MKSI) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Kla (KLAC) +15.8%, Mks (MKSI) +24.6%, Applied Materials (AMAT) +7.8%.

Which company is more profitable?

Kla (KLAC) has the highest net margin (Kla (KLAC) 36.2%, Mks (MKSI) 12.6%, Applied Materials (AMAT) 30.1%). On return on invested capital, Kla (KLAC) leads (Kla (KLAC) 43.4%, Mks (MKSI) 10.8%, Applied Materials (AMAT) 25.3%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Applied Materials (AMAT) returned the most: Kla (KLAC) +5.8%, Mks (MKSI) +26.2%, Applied Materials (AMAT) +32.5%. Over five years, Kla (KLAC) compounded fastest (Kla (KLAC) +25.5%/yr, Mks (MKSI) +2.0%/yr, Applied Materials (AMAT) +15.8%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Kla (KLAC) has the highest dividend yield: Kla (KLAC) 0.01%, Mks (MKSI) 0.01%, Applied Materials (AMAT) 0.00%. Applied Materials (AMAT) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Applied Materials (AMAT) has been the steadiest (Kla (KLAC) 63.7%, Mks (MKSI) 63.0%, Applied Materials (AMAT) 62.9%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

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 4. 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.