KLIC vs AMAT vs MKSI Stock Comparison

Kulicke & Soffa Industries, Applied Materials and Mks Prices as of Nov 5, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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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
5 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
3 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Applied Materials leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Applied Materials 5, Kulicke & Soffa Industries 4, Mks 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionKLICAMATMKSILeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $3.35B $264.14B $13.01B AMAT
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 28.9x 28.5x 21.6x MKSI
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 14.7x 23.6x 13.1x MKSI
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +44.4% +7.8% +24.6% KLIC
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 12.2% 30.1% 12.6% AMAT
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital — 25.3% 10.8% AMAT
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA — -0.3x 2.5x AMAT
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.01% 0.00% 0.01% KLIC
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +51.5% +32.5% +26.2% KLIC
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +0.9%/yr +15.8%/yr +2.0%/yr AMAT
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 61.0% 62.9% 63.0% KLIC
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 55/100 56/100 61/100 MKSI

Percentile Scorecard

KLICAMATMKSI

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

AxisKLICAMATMKSI
Valuation 61 #37 of 94 53 #45 of 94 82 #18 of 94
Growth 63 #35 of 92 35 #60 of 92 84 #16 of 92
Profitability 52 #44 of 90 89 #11 of 90 63 #34 of 90
Financial Health 61 #40 of 101 47 #54 of 101 1 #100 of 101
Shareholder Returns 40 #49 of 81 55 #37 of 81 74 #22 of 81
Overall 55 56 61
  • KLIC ranked among 103 companies in Semiconductors
  • AMAT ranked among 103 companies in Semiconductors
  • MKSI ranked among 103 companies in Semiconductors

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodKLICAMATMKSISPY
1 month -38.9%-39.8%-37.2% -5.9%
3 months -34.0%-39.5%-39.4% -4.6%
6 months -39.0%-22.3%-41.3% +0.2%
Year to date +31.3%+24.2%+10.5% +7.5%
1 year +51.5%+32.5%+26.2% +8.2%
3 years +34.2%+127.5%+160.2% +68.3%
3 years, per year +10.3%+31.5%+37.6% +19.0%
5 years +4.4%+108.3%+10.2% +56.5%
5 years, per year +0.9%+15.8%+2.0% +9.4%
10 years +354.3%+1,031.3%+263.4% +251.5%
10 years, per year +16.3%+27.5%+13.8% +13.4%

Risk

MeasureKLICAMATMKSISPY
Volatility, 1Y 61.0%62.9%63.0% 13.6%
Downside volatility, 1Y 68.1%67.0%67.5% 14.2%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 2.292.812.68 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.840.520.42 0.60
Max drawdown, 5Y -59.5%-55.8%-67.5% -25.4%
From 52-week high -55.3%-55.8%-60.3% -5.9%
52-week high $133.81$723.00$444.80 $779.14
52-week low $35.29$220.23$138.49 $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.

MultipleKLICAMATMKSI
P/E now vs peer median 27.1xmedian 35.6x 27.4xmedian 35.6x 19.9xmedian 35.6x
P/S now vs peer median 3.3xmedian 5.8x 8.2xmedian 5.8x 2.5xmedian 5.8x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 18.5xmedian 21.9x 25.9xmedian 21.9x 12.2xmedian 21.9x
P/FCF now vs peer median 76.1xmedian 30.7x 45.1xmedian 30.7x 21.6xmedian 30.7x
P/B now vs peer median 3.4xmedian 3.5x 9.9xmedian 3.5x 3.6xmedian 3.5x
PEG now vs peer median 3.35median 1.25 1.84median 1.25 0.61median 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 monthsKLICAMATMKSI
Revenue $950.21M $30.84B $4.77B
Gross profit $457.82M $15.23B $2.26B
Operating income $125.54M $9.14B $869.00M
Net income $115.74M $9.27B $602.00M
Free cash flow $41.13M $5.62B $552.00M
R&D $161.53M $3.97B $314.00M
EPS (diluted) $2.17 $11.58 $8.30
Cash & equivalents $368.57M $7.04B $676.00M
Total debt – $6.54B $3.78B
Shares (diluted) 53.43M 800.00M 72.50M
Enterprise value $1.35B $229.58B $10.48B

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
MetricKLICAMATMKSI
P/E 27.1x 27.4x 19.9x
P/FCF 76.1x 45.1x 21.6x
P/Operating cash flow 56.8x 30.2x 16.4x
P/S 3.3x 8.2x 2.5x
P/B 3.4x 9.9x 3.6x
P/Tangible book 3.5x 10.0x 9.1x
EV/EBITDA 18.5x 25.9x 12.2x
EV/EBIT 20.8x 27.4x 17.3x
EV/Revenue 2.8x 8.1x 3.2x
EV/FCF 63.6x 44.6x 27.3x
EV/Operating cash flow 47.4x 29.9x 20.6x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 3.35 1.84 0.61

Growth

14 metrics
MetricKLICAMATMKSI
Revenue growth (1Y) 44.4% 7.8% 24.6%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 4.8% 5.1% 7.7%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 61.0% 9.8% 25.3%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 5.0% 7.3% 9.5%
Operating income growth (1Y) 8,922% 6.0% 67.1%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 12.8% 6.0% 37.8%
Net income growth (1Y) 1,845% 35.6% 115.8%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 5.5% 12.9% 33.0%
EPS growth (1Y) 1,818% 36.0% 101.2%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 8.1% 14.9% 32.5%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -59.7% 9.0% 7.5%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -36.2% 1.6% 31.4%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -65.7% -3.4% 4.2%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -37.0% -7.0% 37.1%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricKLICAMATMKSI
Gross margin 48.2% 49.4% 47.3%
EBITDA margin 14.9% 31.4% 25.8%
Operating margin 13.2% 29.6% 18.2%
Pretax margin 15.2% 34.8% 14.5%
Net margin 12.2% 30.1% 12.6%
FCF margin 4.3% 18.2% 11.6%
Operating cash flow margin 5.8% 27.2% 15.3%
Return on equity 13.1% 37.4% 19.2%
Return on assets 9.2% 22.1% 6.6%
Return on invested capital – 25.3% 10.8%
Return on capital employed 13.5% 29.0% 13.4%
Asset turnover 0.8x 0.7x 0.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 0.5x 0.9x 1.2x
Stock comp / revenue 2.9% 2.3% 1.2%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricKLICAMATMKSI
Debt / assets – 15.0% 40.9%
Debt / equity – 0.3x 1.1x
Net debt / EBITDA – -0.3x 2.5x
Debt / FCF – 1.2x 6.8x
Liabilities / assets 30.9% 41.1% 64.4%
Equity / assets 69.1% 58.9% 35.6%
Interest coverage 836.9x 33.0x 5.1x
Current ratio 3.4x 2.4x 1.2x
Quick ratio 2.6x 1.6x 0.6x
Cash ratio 1.6x 0.9x 0.3x
Altman Z-score 7.72 12.28 2.27

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricKLICAMATMKSI
Dividend yield 1.3% 0.6% 0.5%
Net buyback yield 0.8% 0.7% –
Shareholder yield 2.1% 1.4% 0.5%
Payout ratio (earnings) 37.0% – 11.0%
Payout ratio (FCF) 104.2% – 12.0%
Dividend growth (1Y) -1.9% – 11.9%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 1.2% – 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.

ConsensusKLICAMATMKSI
Forward P/E 14.7xFY2026 23.6xFY2026 13.1xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $4.07FY2026 $13.50FY2026 $13.48FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +1,838.1%FY2026 +43.3%FY2026 +71.1%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +38.6% +32.7% +34.9%
Revenue, next fiscal year $1.19BFY2026 $32.73BFY2026 $5.43BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +82.6%FY2026 +15.4%FY2026 +38.1%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +24.1% +38.2% +8.0%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersKLICAMATMKSI
Held by institutions 92.8% 83.6% 100.0%
Institutions holding 467 3,511 778
Change in shares held, QoQ +1.6% +6.0% +2.8%
Institutions buying 268 1,791 455
Institutions selling 152 1,353 253
Buyers to sellers 1.76 1.32 1.80

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.

KLICAMATMKSI
KLIC 1.00 0.70 0.77
AMAT 0.70 1.00 0.85
MKSI 0.77 0.85 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, KLIC, AMAT and MKSI?

Applied Materials (AMAT) is the largest by market capitalisation: Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) $3.35B, Applied Materials (AMAT) $264.14B, Mks (MKSI) $13.01B.

Which stock is cheaper, KLIC, AMAT and MKSI?

Mks (MKSI) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) 28.9x, Applied Materials (AMAT) 28.5x, Mks (MKSI) 21.6x). On next year's consensus earnings, Mks (MKSI) is cheapest (Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) 14.7x, Applied Materials (AMAT) 23.6x, Mks (MKSI) 13.1x). 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: Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) +44.4%, Applied Materials (AMAT) +7.8%, Mks (MKSI) +24.6%.

Which company is more profitable?

Applied Materials (AMAT) has the highest net margin (Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) 12.2%, Applied Materials (AMAT) 30.1%, Mks (MKSI) 12.6%). On return on invested capital, Applied Materials (AMAT) leads (Applied Materials (AMAT) 25.3%, Mks (MKSI) 10.8%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) returned the most: Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) +51.5%, Applied Materials (AMAT) +32.5%, Mks (MKSI) +26.2%. Over five years, Applied Materials (AMAT) compounded fastest (Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) +0.9%/yr, Applied Materials (AMAT) +15.8%/yr, Mks (MKSI) +2.0%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) has the highest dividend yield: Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) 0.01%, Applied Materials (AMAT) 0.00%, Mks (MKSI) 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 (Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) 61.0%, Applied Materials (AMAT) 62.9%, Mks (MKSI) 63.0%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

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 5. 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.