KLAC vs NVMI vs LRCX Stock Comparison

Kla, Nova and Lam Research Prices as of Oct 27, 2026 Peers: Industry group
KLAC Kla Corp
$153.66 -18.2% 1M +26.5% 1Y
Market cap
$209.17B
P/E
43.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$13.58B
Div. yield
0.01%
Semiconductor Equipment Technology
2 wins
NVMI Nova Ltd.
$327.60 -11.0% 1M -6.7% 1Y
Market cap
$10.10B
P/E
37.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$937.50M
Div. yield
–
Semiconductor Equipment Technology
2 wins
LRCX Lam Research Corp
$240.85 -23.6% 1M +53.5% 1Y
Market cap
$318.89B
P/E
37.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$26.13B
Div. yield
–
Semiconductor Equipment Technology
7 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

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

QuestionKLACNVMILRCXLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $209.17B $10.10B $318.89B LRCX
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 43.3x 37.3x 37.7x NVMI
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 27.1x 29.0x 23.8x LRCX
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +11.7% +16.2% +33.4% LRCX
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 35.6% 28.8% 32.3% KLAC
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 40.7% — 49.6% LRCX
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.7x — -0.4x LRCX
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.01% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +26.5% -6.7% +53.5% LRCX
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +34.1%/yr +25.6%/yr +33.6%/yr KLAC
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 61.4% 59.5% 65.6% NVMI
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 59/100 55/100 67/100 LRCX

Percentile Scorecard

KLACNVMILRCX

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

AxisKLACNVMILRCX
Valuation 39 #58 of 94 57 #41 of 94 52 #46 of 94
Growth 52 #45 of 92 70 #28 of 92 85 #15 of 92
Profitability 97 #4 of 90 76 #22 of 90 94 #6 of 90
Financial Health 20 #79 of 99 14 #85 of 99 43 #57 of 99
Shareholder Returns 86 #11 of 73 – 61 #29 of 73
Overall 59 55 67
  • KLAC ranked among 103 companies in Semiconductors
  • NVMI ranked among 103 companies in Semiconductors
  • LRCX ranked among 103 companies in Semiconductors

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodKLACNVMILRCXSPY
1 month -18.2%-11.0%-23.6% -0.2%
3 months -19.5%-18.6%-10.7% +3.9%
6 months -15.1%-34.3%-4.1% +8.2%
Year to date +26.5%-0.2%+40.7% +12.9%
1 year +26.5%-6.7%+53.5% +12.3%
3 years +235.6%+260.6%+312.4% +87.4%
3 years, per year +49.8%+53.4%+60.4% +23.3%
5 years +332.4%+211.9%+325.5% +67.9%
5 years, per year +34.1%+25.6%+33.6% +10.9%
10 years +1,956.5%+2,596.3%+2,390.7% +261.1%
10 years, per year +35.3%+39.0%+37.9% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureKLACNVMILRCXSPY
Volatility, 1Y 61.4%59.5%65.6% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 65.4%67.7%65.0% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 2.802.903.25 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.43-0.110.82 0.97
Max drawdown, 5Y -51.7%-52.8%-56.8% -25.4%
From 52-week high -49.1%-45.9%-44.4% -1.2%
52-week high $301.71$605.65$433.33 $779.14
52-week low $109.71$275.78$139.59 $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.

MultipleKLACNVMILRCX
P/E now vs peer median 41.7xmedian 45.6x 36.5xmedian 45.6x 35.7xmedian 45.6x
P/S now vs peer median 14.8xmedian 7.7x 11.1xmedian 7.7x 11.5xmedian 7.7x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 33.9xmedian 29.0x 33.7xmedian 29.0x 29.4xmedian 29.0x
P/FCF now vs peer median 53.3xmedian 40.6x 42.5xmedian 40.6x 46.0xmedian 40.6x
P/B now vs peer median 31.6xmedian 4.6x 7.1xmedian 4.6x 21.6xmedian 4.6x
PEG now vs peer median 2.81median 2.28 1.48median 2.28 1.14median 2.28

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 monthsKLACNVMILRCX
Revenue $13.58B $937.50M $26.13B
Gross profit $8.32B $535.50M $13.34B
Operating income $5.66B $271.61M $9.65B
Net income $4.83B $270.51M $8.45B
Free cash flow $3.77B $244.83M $6.54B
R&D $1.53B $151.05M $2.47B
EPS (diluted) $3.66 $8.24 $6.73
Cash & equivalents $1.65B $124.85M $7.44B
Total debt $5.89B – $16.44B
Shares (diluted) 1.32B 32.80M 1.26B
Enterprise value $201.34B $7.26B $294.94B

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
MetricKLACNVMILRCX
P/E 41.7x 36.5x 35.7x
P/FCF 53.3x 42.5x 46.0x
P/Operating cash flow 48.5x 46.0x 39.7x
P/S 14.8x 11.1x 11.5x
P/B 31.6x 7.1x 21.6x
P/Tangible book 33.0x 7.3x 21.6x
EV/EBITDA 33.9x 33.7x 29.4x
EV/EBIT 36.2x 36.0x 30.8x
EV/Revenue 15.1x 10.4x 11.4x
EV/FCF 54.4x 40.0x 45.5x
EV/Operating cash flow 49.5x 43.2x 39.2x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 2.81 1.48 1.14

Growth

14 metrics
MetricKLACNVMILRCX
Revenue growth (1Y) 11.7% 16.2% 33.4%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 9.0% 19.5% 18.2%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 12.4% 16.2% 38.1%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 9.9% 20.0% 23.4%
Operating income growth (1Y) 12.9% 16.3% 49.3%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 12.3% 24.6% 29.0%
Net income growth (1Y) 18.9% 15.2% 45.4%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 12.6% 25.8% 28.6%
EPS growth (1Y) 20.5% 12.8% 47.0%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 14.9% 24.6% 31.1%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 1.5% -1.4% 18.7%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 4.1% 20.7% 15.3%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 0.5% -3.4% 17.8%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 4.2% 18.2% 13.2%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricKLACNVMILRCX
Gross margin 61.3% 57.1% 51.1%
EBITDA margin 44.6% 31.0% 38.7%
Operating margin 41.7% 29.0% 37.0%
Pretax margin 41.3% 34.1% 37.2%
Net margin 35.6% 28.8% 32.3%
FCF margin 27.7% 26.1% 25.0%
Operating cash flow margin 30.5% 24.1% 29.0%
Return on equity 79.3% 19.0% 64.1%
Return on assets 27.7% 11.0% 33.9%
Return on invested capital 40.7% – 49.6%
Return on capital employed 43.2% 17.9% 54.8%
Asset turnover 0.8x 0.4x 1.0x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 0.9x 0.8x 0.9x
Stock comp / revenue 2.3% 2.8% 1.5%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricKLACNVMILRCX
Debt / assets 32.8% – 14.2%
Debt / equity 0.9x – 0.3x
Net debt / EBITDA 0.7x – -0.4x
Debt / FCF 1.6x – 0.6x
Liabilities / assets 64.6% 41.1% 47.2%
Equity / assets 35.4% 58.9% 52.8%
Interest coverage 19.9x – –
Current ratio 2.9x 1.6x 2.5x
Quick ratio 1.1x 0.9x 1.8x
Cash ratio 0.4x 0.7x 1.0x
Altman Z-score 13.01 – 19.18

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricKLACNVMILRCX
Dividend yield 0.5% – 0.5%
Net buyback yield 1.1% – 1.2%
Shareholder yield 1.6% – 1.7%
Payout ratio (earnings) 21.9% – –
Payout ratio (FCF) 28.1% – –
Dividend growth (1Y) 17.2% – –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 13.1% – –

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.

ConsensusKLACNVMILRCX
Forward P/E 27.1xFY2027 29.0xFY2026 23.8xFY2027
EPS, next fiscal year $5.67FY2027 $11.30FY2026 $10.12FY2027
EPS growth, next FY +50.8%FY2027 +31.1%FY2026 +73.9%FY2027
EPS growth, the year after +16.6% +17.2% +12.6%
Revenue, next fiscal year $19.18BFY2027 $1.15BFY2026 $32.96BFY2027
Revenue growth, next FY +41.2%FY2027 +30.3%FY2026 +41.9%FY2027
Revenue growth, the year after +8.6% +23.9% +25.0%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersKLACNVMILRCX
Held by institutions 91.0% 69.0% 85.6%
Institutions holding 2,478 343 3,131
Change in shares held, QoQ +4.2% -4.1% +6.2%
Institutions buying 1,285 175 1,695
Institutions selling 982 129 1,163
Buyers to sellers 1.31 1.36 1.46

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.

KLACNVMILRCX
KLAC 1.00 0.84 0.88
NVMI 0.84 1.00 0.84
LRCX 0.88 0.84 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, KLAC, NVMI and LRCX?

Lam Research (LRCX) is the largest by market capitalisation: Kla (KLAC) $209.17B, Nova (NVMI) $10.10B, Lam Research (LRCX) $318.89B.

Which stock is cheaper, KLAC, NVMI and LRCX?

Nova (NVMI) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Kla (KLAC) 43.3x, Nova (NVMI) 37.3x, Lam Research (LRCX) 37.7x). On next year's consensus earnings, Lam Research (LRCX) is cheapest (Kla (KLAC) 27.1x, Nova (NVMI) 29.0x, Lam Research (LRCX) 23.8x). 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: Kla (KLAC) +11.7%, Nova (NVMI) +16.2%, Lam Research (LRCX) +33.4%.

Which company is more profitable?

Kla (KLAC) has the highest net margin (Kla (KLAC) 35.6%, Nova (NVMI) 28.8%, Lam Research (LRCX) 32.3%). On return on invested capital, Lam Research (LRCX) leads (Kla (KLAC) 40.7%, Lam Research (LRCX) 49.6%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Lam Research (LRCX) returned the most: Kla (KLAC) +26.5%, Nova (NVMI) -6.7%, Lam Research (LRCX) +53.5%. Over five years, Kla (KLAC) compounded fastest (Kla (KLAC) +34.1%/yr, Nova (NVMI) +25.6%/yr, Lam Research (LRCX) +33.6%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Kla (KLAC) 0.01%, Nova (NVMI) 0.00%, Lam Research (LRCX) 0.00%. Nova (NVMI) and Lam Research (LRCX) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Nova (NVMI) has been the steadiest (Kla (KLAC) 61.4%, Nova (NVMI) 59.5%, Lam Research (LRCX) 65.6%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, KLAC, NVMI and LRCX?

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 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.