KLAC vs VECO vs AMAT Stock Comparison

Kla, Veeco Instruments and Applied Materials Prices as of Oct 27, 2026 Peers: Industry group
KLAC Kla Corp
$153.66 -18.2% 1M +26.5% 1Y
Market cap
$208.56B
P/E
43.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$13.58B
Div. yield
0.01%
Semiconductor Equipment Technology
6 wins
VECO Veeco Instruments Inc
$43.85 -11.7% 1M +50.0% 1Y
Market cap
$2.68B
P/E
115.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$682.72M
Div. yield
–
Semiconductor Equipment Technology
1 win
AMAT Applied Materials Inc /De
$395.93 -18.4% 1M +71.2% 1Y
Market cap
$330.96B
P/E
35.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$30.84B
Div. yield
–
Semiconductor Equipment Technology
4 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Kla leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Kla 6, Applied Materials 4, Veeco Instruments 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionKLACVECOAMATLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $208.56B $2.68B $330.96B AMAT
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 43.2x 115.4x 35.7x AMAT
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 27.1x 30.0x 29.3x KLAC
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +11.7% -2.5% +7.8% KLAC
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 35.6% 3.4% 30.1% KLAC
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 40.7% 1.6% 25.3% KLAC
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.7x -5.2x -0.3x VECO
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.01% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +26.5% +50.0% +71.2% AMAT
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +34.1%/yr +12.8%/yr +23.8%/yr KLAC
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 61.4% 70.8% 60.5% AMAT
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 59/100 41/100 58/100 KLAC

Percentile Scorecard

KLACVECOAMAT

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

AxisKLACVECOAMAT
Valuation 39 #58 of 94 73 #26 of 94 55 #43 of 94
Growth 52 #45 of 92 15 #78 of 92 46 #50 of 92
Profitability 97 #4 of 90 36 #58 of 90 89 #11 of 90
Financial Health 20 #79 of 99 49 #51 of 99 48 #52 of 99
Shareholder Returns 86 #11 of 73 31 #51 of 73 53 #35 of 73
Overall 59 41 58
  • KLAC ranked among 103 companies in Semiconductors
  • VECO 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

PeriodKLACVECOAMATSPY
1 month -18.2%-11.7%-18.4% -0.2%
3 months -19.5%-4.0%-16.9% +3.9%
6 months -15.1%-8.3%+3.9% +8.2%
Year to date +26.5%+53.4%+54.1% +12.9%
1 year +26.5%+50.0%+71.2% +12.3%
3 years +235.6%+81.5%+201.5% +87.4%
3 years, per year +49.8%+22.0%+44.5% +23.3%
5 years +332.4%+82.3%+191.1% +67.9%
5 years, per year +34.1%+12.8%+23.8% +10.9%
10 years +1,956.5%+99.8%+1,271.9% +261.1%
10 years, per year +35.3%+7.2%+29.9% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureKLACVECOAMATSPY
Volatility, 1Y 61.4%70.8%60.5% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 65.4%70.8%62.2% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 2.802.632.77 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.430.711.18 0.97
Max drawdown, 5Y -51.7%-64.2%-55.4% -25.4%
From 52-week high -49.1%-47.2%-45.2% -1.2%
52-week high $301.71$83.04$723.00 $779.14
52-week low $109.71$26.39$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.

MultipleKLACVECOAMAT
P/E now vs peer median 41.7xmedian 45.6x 115.2xmedian 45.6x 33.9xmedian 45.6x
P/S now vs peer median 14.8xmedian 7.7x 3.9xmedian 7.7x 10.2xmedian 7.7x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 33.9xmedian 29.0x 63.0xmedian 29.0x 32.2xmedian 29.0x
P/FCF now vs peer median 53.3xmedian 40.6x 31.5xmedian 40.6x 55.9xmedian 40.6x
P/B now vs peer median 31.6xmedian 4.6x 3.0xmedian 4.6x 12.3xmedian 4.6x
PEG now vs peer median 2.81median 2.28 -3.28median 2.28 2.28median 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 monthsKLACVECOAMAT
Revenue $13.58B $682.72M $30.84B
Gross profit $8.32B $258.88M $15.23B
Operating income $5.66B $18.38M $9.14B
Net income $4.83B $23.24M $9.27B
Free cash flow $3.77B $85.17M $5.62B
R&D $1.53B $122.79M $3.97B
EPS (diluted) $3.66 $0.35 $11.58
Cash & equivalents $1.65B $214.46M $7.04B
Total debt $5.89B $904.53M $26.11B
Shares (diluted) 1.32B 66.78M 800.00M
Enterprise value $200.72B $1.11B $296.40B

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
MetricKLACVECOAMAT
P/E 41.7x 115.2x 33.9x
P/FCF 53.3x 31.5x 55.9x
P/Operating cash flow 48.5x 26.9x 37.4x
P/S 14.8x 3.9x 10.2x
P/B 31.6x 3.0x 12.3x
P/Tangible book 33.0x 3.0x 12.4x
EV/EBITDA 33.9x 63.0x 32.2x
EV/EBIT 36.2x 134.8x 34.1x
EV/Revenue 15.1x 3.6x 10.1x
EV/FCF 54.4x 29.1x 55.4x
EV/Operating cash flow 49.5x 24.8x 37.1x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 2.81 -3.28 2.28

Growth

14 metrics
MetricKLACVECOAMAT
Revenue growth (1Y) 11.7% -2.5% 7.8%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 9.0% 2.1% 5.1%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 12.4% -10.9% 9.8%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 9.9% -0.4% 7.3%
Operating income growth (1Y) 12.9% -66.4% 6.0%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 12.3% -30.4% 6.0%
Net income growth (1Y) 18.9% -61.6% 35.6%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 12.6% -29.9% 12.9%
EPS growth (1Y) 20.5% -65.4% 36.0%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 14.9% -35.1% 14.9%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 1.5% 33.0% 9.0%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 4.1% -1.8% 1.6%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 0.5% 53.4% -3.4%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 4.2% -0.1% -7.0%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricKLACVECOAMAT
Gross margin 61.3% 37.9% 49.4%
EBITDA margin 44.6% 5.8% 31.4%
Operating margin 41.7% 2.7% 29.6%
Pretax margin 41.3% 3.4% 34.8%
Net margin 35.6% 3.4% 30.1%
FCF margin 27.7% 12.5% 18.2%
Operating cash flow margin 30.5% 14.6% 27.2%
Return on equity 79.3% 2.6% 37.4%
Return on assets 27.7% 1.7% 22.1%
Return on invested capital 40.7% 1.6% 25.3%
Return on capital employed 43.2% 1.6% 29.0%
Asset turnover 0.8x 0.5x 0.7x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 0.9x 4.3x 0.9x
Stock comp / revenue 2.3% 5.3% 2.3%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricKLACVECOAMAT
Debt / assets 32.8% 16.0% 15.0%
Debt / equity 0.9x 0.3x 0.3x
Net debt / EBITDA 0.7x -5.2x -0.3x
Debt / FCF 1.6x 2.7x 1.2x
Liabilities / assets 64.6% 36.2% 41.1%
Equity / assets 35.4% 63.8% 58.9%
Interest coverage 19.9x 2.1x 33.0x
Current ratio 2.9x 3.9x 2.4x
Quick ratio 1.1x 2.5x 1.6x
Cash ratio 0.4x 1.8x 0.9x
Altman Z-score 13.01 3.85 14.32

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricKLACVECOAMAT
Dividend yield 0.5% – 0.5%
Net buyback yield 1.1% -0.1% 0.6%
Shareholder yield 1.6% -0.1% 1.1%
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.

ConsensusKLACVECOAMAT
Forward P/E 27.1xFY2027 30.0xFY2026 29.3xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $5.67FY2027 $1.46FY2026 $13.50FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +50.8%FY2027 +9.8%FY2026 +43.3%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +16.6% +108.2% +32.7%
Revenue, next fiscal year $19.18BFY2027 $753.17MFY2026 $32.74BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +41.2%FY2027 +13.4%FY2026 +15.4%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +8.6% +52.0% +38.2%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersKLACVECOAMAT
Held by institutions 91.0% 100.0% 83.6%
Institutions holding 2,478 327 3,505
Change in shares held, QoQ +4.2% +3.5% +6.0%
Institutions buying 1,285 207 1,789
Institutions selling 982 86 1,349
Buyers to sellers 1.31 2.41 1.33

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.

KLACVECOAMAT
KLAC 1.00 0.66 0.88
VECO 0.66 1.00 0.64
AMAT 0.88 0.64 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, KLAC, VECO and AMAT?

Applied Materials (AMAT) is the largest by market capitalisation: Kla (KLAC) $208.56B, Veeco Instruments (VECO) $2.68B, Applied Materials (AMAT) $330.96B.

Which stock is cheaper, KLAC, VECO and AMAT?

Applied Materials (AMAT) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Kla (KLAC) 43.2x, Veeco Instruments (VECO) 115.4x, Applied Materials (AMAT) 35.7x). On next year's consensus earnings, Kla (KLAC) is cheapest (Kla (KLAC) 27.1x, Veeco Instruments (VECO) 30.0x, Applied Materials (AMAT) 29.3x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Kla (KLAC) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Kla (KLAC) +11.7%, Veeco Instruments (VECO) -2.5%, Applied Materials (AMAT) +7.8%.

Which company is more profitable?

Kla (KLAC) has the highest net margin (Kla (KLAC) 35.6%, Veeco Instruments (VECO) 3.4%, Applied Materials (AMAT) 30.1%). On return on invested capital, Kla (KLAC) leads (Kla (KLAC) 40.7%, Veeco Instruments (VECO) 1.6%, Applied Materials (AMAT) 25.3%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Applied Materials (AMAT) returned the most: Kla (KLAC) +26.5%, Veeco Instruments (VECO) +50.0%, Applied Materials (AMAT) +71.2%. Over five years, Kla (KLAC) compounded fastest (Kla (KLAC) +34.1%/yr, Veeco Instruments (VECO) +12.8%/yr, Applied Materials (AMAT) +23.8%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Kla (KLAC) 0.01%, Veeco Instruments (VECO) 0.00%, Applied Materials (AMAT) 0.00%. Veeco Instruments (VECO) and 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) 61.4%, Veeco Instruments (VECO) 70.8%, Applied Materials (AMAT) 60.5%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, KLAC, VECO 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, Kla (KLAC) 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.