KLIC vs LRCX vs ACLS Stock Comparison

Kulicke & Soffa Industries, Lam Research and Axcelis Technologies Prices as of Oct 27, 2026 Peers: Industry group
LRCX Lam Research Corp
$240.85 -23.6% 1M +53.5% 1Y
Market cap
$300.86B
P/E
35.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$26.13B
Div. yield
0.46%
Semiconductor Equipment Technology
4 wins
ACLS Axcelis Technologies Inc
$113.64 -7.7% 1M +36.5% 1Y
Market cap
$3.51B
P/E
37.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$866.07M
Div. yield
–
Semiconductor Equipment Technology

Head to Head

10 decided of 12

Kulicke & Soffa Industries leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Kulicke & Soffa Industries 6, Lam Research 4). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionKLICLRCXACLSLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $4.10B $300.86B $3.51B LRCX
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 35.4x 35.7x 37.7x KLIC
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 19.2x 23.8x 26.9x KLIC
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +44.4% +33.4% -3.3% KLIC
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 12.2% 32.3% 10.7% LRCX
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital — 49.6% — –
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA — -0.4x — –
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 1.03% 0.46% — KLIC
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +91.9% +53.5% +36.5% KLIC
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +6.6%/yr +33.6%/yr +16.1%/yr LRCX
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 58.8% 65.6% 69.7% KLIC
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 57/100 67/100 55/100 LRCX

Percentile Scorecard

KLICLRCXACLS

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

AxisKLICLRCXACLS
Valuation 65 #34 of 94 52 #46 of 94 71 #28 of 94
Growth 66 #32 of 92 85 #15 of 92 4 #88 of 92
Profitability 56 #40 of 90 94 #6 of 90 46 #49 of 90
Financial Health 59 #41 of 99 43 #57 of 99 63 #37 of 99
Shareholder Returns 39 #45 of 73 61 #29 of 73 89 #9 of 73
Overall 57 67 55
  • KLIC ranked among 103 companies in Semiconductors
  • LRCX ranked among 103 companies in Semiconductors
  • ACLS ranked among 103 companies in Semiconductors

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodKLICLRCXACLSSPY
1 month -14.1%-23.6%-7.7% -0.2%
3 months -13.8%-10.7%-5.3% +3.9%
6 months -5.6%-4.1%-15.2% +8.2%
Year to date +71.9%+40.7%+41.4% +12.9%
1 year +91.9%+53.5%+36.5% +12.3%
3 years +84.8%+312.4%-17.7% +87.4%
3 years, per year +22.7%+60.4%-6.3% +23.3%
5 years +37.6%+325.5%+110.5% +67.9%
5 years, per year +6.6%+33.6%+16.1% +10.9%
10 years +490.4%+2,390.7%+754.4% +261.1%
10 years, per year +19.4%+37.9%+23.9% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureKLICLRCXACLSSPY
Volatility, 1Y 58.8%65.6%69.7% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 63.8%65.0%71.3% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 2.253.252.80 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 1.560.820.52 0.97
Max drawdown, 5Y -59.5%-56.8%-78.8% -25.4%
From 52-week high -41.5%-44.4%-40.7% -1.2%
52-week high $133.81$433.33$191.60 $779.14
52-week low $35.29$139.59$74.12 $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.

MultipleKLICLRCXACLS
P/E now vs peer median 35.4xmedian 45.6x 35.7xmedian 45.6x 37.7xmedian 45.6x
P/S now vs peer median 4.3xmedian 7.7x 11.5xmedian 7.7x 4.1xmedian 7.7x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 25.3xmedian 29.0x 29.4xmedian 29.0x 29.0xmedian 29.0x
P/FCF now vs peer median 99.7xmedian 40.6x 46.0xmedian 40.6x 53.5xmedian 40.6x
P/B now vs peer median 4.5xmedian 4.6x 21.6xmedian 4.6x 3.3xmedian 4.6x
PEG now vs peer median 4.38median 2.28 1.14median 2.28 -1.73median 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 monthsKLICLRCXACLS
Revenue $950.21M $26.13B $866.07M
Gross profit $457.82M $13.34B $372.51M
Operating income $125.54M $9.65B $89.42M
Net income $115.74M $8.45B $92.79M
Free cash flow $41.13M $6.54B $65.55M
R&D $161.53M $2.47B $112.26M
EPS (diluted) $2.17 $6.73 $2.98
Cash & equivalents $368.57M $7.44B $155.00M
Total debt – $16.44B –
Shares (diluted) 53.43M 1.26B 31.13M
Enterprise value $2.10B $276.91B $1.92B

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
MetricKLICLRCXACLS
P/E 35.4x 35.7x 37.7x
P/FCF 99.7x 46.0x 53.5x
P/Operating cash flow 74.4x 39.7x 46.6x
P/S 4.3x 11.5x 4.1x
P/B 4.5x 21.6x 3.3x
P/Tangible book 4.5x 21.6x 3.3x
EV/EBITDA 25.3x 29.4x 29.0x
EV/EBIT 28.5x 30.8x 34.7x
EV/Revenue 3.8x 11.4x 3.6x
EV/FCF 87.1x 45.5x 47.4x
EV/Operating cash flow 65.0x 39.2x 41.3x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 4.38 1.14 -1.73

Growth

14 metrics
MetricKLICLRCXACLS
Revenue growth (1Y) 44.4% 33.4% -3.3%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 4.8% 18.2% -5.4%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 61.0% 38.1% -7.4%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 5.0% 23.4% -5.2%
Operating income growth (1Y) 8,922% 49.3% -44.0%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 12.8% 29.0% -26.4%
Net income growth (1Y) 1,845% 45.4% -41.5%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 5.5% 28.6% -23.4%
EPS growth (1Y) 1,818% 47.0% -40.0%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 8.1% 31.1% -21.8%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -59.7% 18.7% -45.5%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -36.2% 15.3% -33.3%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -65.7% 17.8% -46.5%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -37.0% 13.2% -35.2%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricKLICLRCXACLS
Gross margin 48.2% 51.1% 43.0%
EBITDA margin 14.9% 38.7% 12.4%
Operating margin 13.2% 37.0% 10.3%
Pretax margin 15.2% 37.2% 12.3%
Net margin 12.2% 32.3% 10.7%
FCF margin 4.3% 25.0% 7.6%
Operating cash flow margin 5.8% 29.0% 8.7%
Return on equity 13.1% 64.1% 8.8%
Return on assets 9.2% 33.9% 6.7%
Return on invested capital – 49.6% –
Return on capital employed 13.5% 54.8% 7.6%
Asset turnover 0.8x 1.0x 0.6x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 0.5x 0.9x 0.8x
Stock comp / revenue 2.9% 1.5% 2.5%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricKLICLRCXACLS
Debt / assets – 14.2% –
Debt / equity – 0.3x –
Net debt / EBITDA – -0.4x –
Debt / FCF – 0.6x –
Liabilities / assets 30.9% 47.2% 23.1%
Equity / assets 69.1% 52.8% 76.9%
Interest coverage 836.9x – 17.2x
Current ratio 3.4x 2.5x 4.9x
Quick ratio 2.6x 1.8x 2.8x
Cash ratio 1.6x 1.0x 2.0x
Altman Z-score 9.14 19.18 8.61

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricKLICLRCXACLS
Dividend yield 1.0% 0.5% –
Net buyback yield 0.6% 1.2% 1.6%
Shareholder yield 1.6% 1.7% 1.6%
Payout ratio (earnings) 37.0% – –
Payout ratio (FCF) 104.2% – –
Dividend growth (1Y) -1.9% – –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 1.2% – –

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.

ConsensusKLICLRCXACLS
Forward P/E 19.2xFY2026 23.8xFY2027 26.9xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $4.07FY2026 $10.12FY2027 $4.22FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +1,838.1%FY2026 +73.9%FY2027 -13.5%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +38.6% +12.6% +18.7%
Revenue, next fiscal year $1.19BFY2026 $32.96BFY2027 $920.94MFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +82.6%FY2026 +41.9%FY2027 +9.8%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +24.1% +25.0% +0.6%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersKLICLRCXACLS
Held by institutions 92.8% 85.6% 100.0%
Institutions holding 464 3,131 441
Change in shares held, QoQ +1.6% +6.2% -5.0%
Institutions buying 267 1,695 234
Institutions selling 150 1,163 142
Buyers to sellers 1.78 1.46 1.65

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.

KLICLRCXACLS
KLIC 1.00 0.68 0.64
LRCX 0.68 1.00 0.71
ACLS 0.64 0.71 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, KLIC, LRCX and ACLS?

Lam Research (LRCX) is the largest by market capitalisation: Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) $4.10B, Lam Research (LRCX) $300.86B, Axcelis Technologies (ACLS) $3.51B.

Which stock is cheaper, KLIC, LRCX and ACLS?

Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) 35.4x, Lam Research (LRCX) 35.7x, Axcelis Technologies (ACLS) 37.7x). On next year's consensus earnings, Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) is cheapest (Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) 19.2x, Lam Research (LRCX) 23.8x, Axcelis Technologies (ACLS) 26.9x). 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%, Lam Research (LRCX) +33.4%, Axcelis Technologies (ACLS) -3.3%.

Which company is more profitable?

Lam Research (LRCX) has the highest net margin (Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) 12.2%, Lam Research (LRCX) 32.3%, Axcelis Technologies (ACLS) 10.7%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) returned the most: Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) +91.9%, Lam Research (LRCX) +53.5%, Axcelis Technologies (ACLS) +36.5%. Over five years, Lam Research (LRCX) compounded fastest (Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) +6.6%/yr, Lam Research (LRCX) +33.6%/yr, Axcelis Technologies (ACLS) +16.1%/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) 1.03%, Lam Research (LRCX) 0.46%. Axcelis Technologies (ACLS) 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) 58.8%, Lam Research (LRCX) 65.6%, Axcelis Technologies (ACLS) 69.7%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, KLIC, LRCX and ACLS?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) 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.