KLAC vs MKSI vs ONTO Stock Comparison

Kla, Mks and Onto Innovation Prices as of Oct 29, 2026 Peers: Industry group
KLAC Kla Corp
$167.43 -14.8% 1M +35.5% 1Y
Market cap
$205.56B
P/E
39.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$14.51B
Div. yield
0.01%
Semiconductor Equipment Technology
7 wins
MKSI Mks Inc
$216.17 -18.7% 1M +52.9% 1Y
Market cap
$13.55B
P/E
30.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$4.35B
Div. yield
0.00%
Semiconductor Equipment Technology
3 wins
ONTO Onto Innovation Inc.
$221.78 -27.2% 1M +61.8% 1Y
Market cap
$9.85B
P/E
74.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$1.12B
Div. yield
–
Semiconductor Equipment Technology
2 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Kla leads on 7 of the 12 questions below (Kla 7, Mks 3, Onto Innovation 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionKLACMKSIONTOLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $205.56B $13.55B $9.85B KLAC
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 39.1x 30.8x 74.3x MKSI
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 29.5x 16.0x 26.3x MKSI
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +15.8% +16.3% +8.1% MKSI
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 36.2% 10.1% 11.8% KLAC
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 43.4% 8.9% — KLAC
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.6x 3.2x — KLAC
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.01% 0.00% 0.00% KLAC
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +35.5% +52.9% +61.8% ONTO
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +35.1%/yr +7.6%/yr +22.9%/yr KLAC
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 61.7% 61.8% 72.1% KLAC
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 59/100 55/100 59/100 ONTO

Percentile Scorecard

KLACMKSIONTO

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

AxisKLACMKSIONTO
Valuation 39 #58 of 94 76 #23 of 94 57 #41 of 94
Growth 56 #41 of 92 73 #26 of 92 32 #63 of 92
Profitability 95 #5 of 88 62 #34 of 88 56 #39 of 88
Financial Health 20 #77 of 96 1 #95 of 96 56 #43 of 96
Shareholder Returns 83 #13 of 72 63 #27 of 72 94 #5 of 72
Overall 59 55 59
  • KLAC ranked among 103 companies in Semiconductors
  • MKSI ranked among 103 companies in Semiconductors
  • ONTO ranked among 103 companies in Semiconductors

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodKLACMKSIONTOSPY
1 month -14.8%-18.7%-27.2% +0.7%
3 months -7.2%-26.3%-11.4% +3.7%
6 months -4.3%-23.8%-24.8% +7.1%
Year to date +37.8%+35.3%+40.5% +12.8%
1 year +35.5%+52.9%+61.8% +11.9%
3 years +264.3%+230.9%+98.0% +85.2%
3 years, per year +53.9%+49.1%+25.6% +22.8%
5 years +349.2%+44.1%+180.0% +67.6%
5 years, per year +35.1%+7.6%+22.9% +10.9%
10 years +2,142.6%+335.4%— +262.0%
10 years, per year +36.5%+15.9%— +13.7%

Risk

MeasureKLACMKSIONTOSPY
Volatility, 1Y 61.7%61.8%72.1% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 65.7%65.8%72.9% 12.6%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 2.792.823.18 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.580.860.86 0.94
Max drawdown, 5Y -51.7%-67.5%-62.8% -25.4%
From 52-week high -44.5%-51.4%-41.4% -1.2%
52-week high $301.71$444.80$378.45 $779.14
52-week low $109.71$137.20$124.09 $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.

MultipleKLACMKSIONTO
P/E now vs peer median 41.6xmedian 46.4x 33.2xmedian 46.4x 82.6xmedian 46.4x
P/S now vs peer median 15.0xmedian 7.8x 3.4xmedian 7.8x 9.7xmedian 7.8x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 33.8xmedian 27.5x 17.2xmedian 27.5x 41.2xmedian 27.5x
P/FCF now vs peer median 54.0xmedian 40.1x 32.1xmedian 40.1x 43.1xmedian 40.1x
P/B now vs peer median 33.4xmedian 4.7x 4.9xmedian 4.7x 5.7xmedian 4.7x
PEG now vs peer median 1.98median 2.10 1.08median 2.10 -9.39median 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 monthsKLACMKSIONTO
Revenue $14.51B $4.35B $1.12B
Gross profit $8.92B $2.04B $564.06M
Operating income $6.19B $681.00M $134.61M
Net income $5.26B $439.00M $132.61M
Free cash flow $4.04B $455.00M $252.47M
R&D $1.57B $310.00M $142.63M
EPS (diluted) $4.01 $6.05 $2.67
Cash & equivalents $1.53B $611.00M $1.25B
Total debt $5.72B $3.94B –
Shares (diluted) 1.31B 72.70M 49.68M
Enterprise value $198.14B $10.99B $5.69B

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
MetricKLACMKSIONTO
P/E 41.6x 33.2x 82.6x
P/FCF 54.0x 32.1x 43.1x
P/Operating cash flow 48.3x 23.0x 40.8x
P/S 15.0x 3.4x 9.7x
P/B 33.4x 4.9x 5.7x
P/Tangible book 34.6x 15.0x 6.5x
EV/EBITDA 33.8x 17.2x 41.2x
EV/EBIT 35.9x 26.4x 66.8x
EV/Revenue 15.3x 4.1x 8.0x
EV/FCF 55.1x 39.4x 35.6x
EV/Operating cash flow 49.3x 28.3x 33.8x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 1.98 1.08 -9.39

Growth

14 metrics
MetricKLACMKSIONTO
Revenue growth (1Y) 15.8% 16.3% 8.1%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 12.6% 4.2% 7.7%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 16.1% 15.4% 5.6%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 13.8% 6.7% 5.4%
Operating income growth (1Y) 18.2% 33.5% -29.5%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 17.8% 35.4% -8.3%
Net income growth (1Y) 24.1% 64.4% -33.7%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 19.2% 31.0% -8.6%
EPS growth (1Y) 25.3% 52.8% -34.5%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 21.0% 30.7% -8.8%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 6.2% -1.6% -2.5%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 8.4% 20.7% 17.7%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 4.1% -13.3% 5.9%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 7.9% 22.9% 22.0%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricKLACMKSIONTO
Gross margin 61.5% 47.0% 50.4%
EBITDA margin 45.4% 24.0% 19.5%
Operating margin 42.6% 15.7% 12.0%
Pretax margin 42.2% 11.2% 14.1%
Net margin 36.2% 10.1% 11.8%
FCF margin 27.8% 10.5% 22.5%
Operating cash flow margin 31.1% 14.6% 23.8%
Return on equity 81.7% 15.2% 6.5%
Return on assets 28.9% 5.0% 4.4%
Return on invested capital 43.4% 8.9% –
Return on capital employed 45.4% 10.6% 4.8%
Asset turnover 0.8x 0.5x 0.4x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 0.9x 1.4x 2.0x
Stock comp / revenue 2.2% 1.3% 2.8%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricKLACMKSIONTO
Debt / assets 31.1% 44.1% –
Debt / equity 0.9x 1.3x –
Net debt / EBITDA 0.6x 3.2x –
Debt / FCF 1.4x 8.7x –
Liabilities / assets 64.6% 66.6% 48.0%
Equity / assets 35.4% 33.4% 52.0%
Interest coverage 22.0x 3.7x –
Current ratio 2.8x 1.1x 9.7x
Quick ratio 1.0x 0.6x 8.2x
Cash ratio 0.3x 0.3x 6.9x
Altman Z-score 13.74 2.40 5.18

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricKLACMKSIONTO
Dividend yield 0.3% 0.4% –
Net buyback yield 1.2% – 1.7%
Shareholder yield 1.5% 0.4% 1.7%
Payout ratio (earnings) 21.1% 14.4% –
Payout ratio (FCF) 27.5% 13.8% –
Dividend growth (1Y) 15.7% 6.8% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 15.2% 3.4% –

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.

ConsensusKLACMKSIONTO
Forward P/E 29.5xFY2027 16.0xFY2026 26.3xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $5.67FY2027 $13.48FY2026 $8.42FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +50.8%FY2027 +71.1%FY2026 +70.4%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +16.6% +34.9% +43.5%
Revenue, next fiscal year $19.18BFY2027 $5.43BFY2026 $1.37BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +41.2%FY2027 +38.1%FY2026 +35.5%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +8.6% +8.0% +41.1%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersKLACMKSIONTO
Held by institutions 91.0% 100.0% 98.3%
Institutions holding 2,479 776 689
Change in shares held, QoQ +4.2% +2.8% +2.3%
Institutions buying 1,285 455 376
Institutions selling 983 253 232
Buyers to sellers 1.31 1.80 1.62

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.

KLACMKSIONTO
KLAC 1.00 0.79 0.82
MKSI 0.79 1.00 0.83
ONTO 0.82 0.83 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, KLAC, MKSI and ONTO?

Kla (KLAC) is the largest by market capitalisation: Kla (KLAC) $205.56B, Mks (MKSI) $13.55B, Onto Innovation (ONTO) $9.85B.

Which stock is cheaper, KLAC, MKSI and ONTO?

Mks (MKSI) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Kla (KLAC) 39.1x, Mks (MKSI) 30.8x, Onto Innovation (ONTO) 74.3x). On next year's consensus earnings, Mks (MKSI) is cheapest (Kla (KLAC) 29.5x, Mks (MKSI) 16.0x, Onto Innovation (ONTO) 26.3x). 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) +16.3%, Onto Innovation (ONTO) +8.1%.

Which company is more profitable?

Kla (KLAC) has the highest net margin (Kla (KLAC) 36.2%, Mks (MKSI) 10.1%, Onto Innovation (ONTO) 11.8%). On return on invested capital, Kla (KLAC) leads (Kla (KLAC) 43.4%, Mks (MKSI) 8.9%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Onto Innovation (ONTO) returned the most: Kla (KLAC) +35.5%, Mks (MKSI) +52.9%, Onto Innovation (ONTO) +61.8%. Over five years, Kla (KLAC) compounded fastest (Kla (KLAC) +35.1%/yr, Mks (MKSI) +7.6%/yr, Onto Innovation (ONTO) +22.9%/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) 0.00%, Onto Innovation (ONTO) 0.00%. Onto Innovation (ONTO) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Kla (KLAC) has been the steadiest (Kla (KLAC) 61.7%, Mks (MKSI) 61.8%, Onto Innovation (ONTO) 72.1%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Kla (KLAC) leads on 7. 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.