KLIC vs MKSI vs ACLS Stock Comparison

Kulicke & Soffa Industries, Mks and Axcelis Technologies Prices as of Oct 28, 2026 Peers: Industry group
MKSI Mks Inc
$218.24 -15.5% 1M +55.4% 1Y
Market cap
$14.97B
P/E
34.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$4.35B
Div. yield
0.00%
Semiconductor Equipment Technology
3 wins
ACLS Axcelis Technologies Inc
$113.73 -8.3% 1M +38.2% 1Y
Market cap
$3.53B
P/E
38.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$866.07M
Div. yield
–
Semiconductor Equipment Technology
1 win

Head to Head

10 decided of 12

Kulicke & Soffa Industries leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Kulicke & Soffa Industries 6, Mks 3, Axcelis Technologies 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionKLICMKSIACLSLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $4.28B $14.97B $3.53B MKSI
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 37.0x 34.0x 38.0x MKSI
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 19.5x 16.2x 27.0x MKSI
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +44.4% +16.3% -3.3% KLIC
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 12.2% 10.1% 10.7% KLIC
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital — 8.9% — –
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA — 3.2x — –
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.01% 0.00% 0.00% KLIC
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +93.8% +55.4% +38.2% KLIC
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +6.9%/yr +7.8%/yr +15.7%/yr ACLS
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 58.9% 61.8% 69.7% KLIC
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 57/100 56/100 55/100 KLIC

Percentile Scorecard

KLICMKSIACLS

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

AxisKLICMKSIACLS
Valuation 62 #36 of 94 76 #23 of 94 71 #28 of 94
Growth 66 #32 of 92 73 #26 of 92 4 #88 of 92
Profitability 58 #38 of 90 65 #32 of 90 49 #46 of 90
Financial Health 58 #42 of 99 1 #98 of 99 63 #37 of 99
Shareholder Returns 42 #43 of 73 65 #26 of 73 88 #10 of 73
Overall 57 56 55
  • KLIC ranked among 103 companies in Semiconductors
  • MKSI 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

PeriodKLICMKSIACLSSPY
1 month -13.4%-15.5%-8.3% +0.9%
3 months -4.1%-15.3%+1.5% +5.9%
6 months -5.1%-17.8%-14.9% +8.5%
Year to date +74.4%+36.6%+41.6% +13.3%
1 year +93.8%+55.4%+38.2% +12.4%
3 years +87.4%+224.9%-17.6% +88.1%
3 years, per year +23.3%+48.2%-6.3% +23.5%
5 years +39.4%+45.4%+107.0% +68.2%
5 years, per year +6.9%+7.8%+15.7% +11.0%
10 years +500.0%+339.6%+755.1% +263.4%
10 years, per year +19.6%+16.0%+23.9% +13.8%

Risk

MeasureKLICMKSIACLSSPY
Volatility, 1Y 58.9%61.8%69.7% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 63.8%66.1%71.6% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 2.262.822.80 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 1.590.900.55 0.98
Max drawdown, 5Y -59.5%-67.5%-78.8% -25.4%
From 52-week high -40.6%-50.9%-40.6% -0.9%
52-week high $133.81$444.80$191.60 $779.14
52-week low $35.29$137.20$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.

MultipleKLICMKSIACLS
P/E now vs peer median 35.9xmedian 46.0x 33.5xmedian 46.0x 37.8xmedian 46.0x
P/S now vs peer median 4.4xmedian 7.9x 3.4xmedian 7.9x 4.1xmedian 7.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 25.7xmedian 28.3x 17.3xmedian 28.3x 29.1xmedian 28.3x
P/FCF now vs peer median 101.1xmedian 41.4x 32.4xmedian 41.4x 53.6xmedian 41.4x
P/B now vs peer median 4.6xmedian 4.6x 4.9xmedian 4.6x 3.3xmedian 4.6x
PEG now vs peer median 4.45median 2.30 1.09median 2.30 -1.73median 2.30

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 monthsKLICMKSIACLS
Revenue $950.21M $4.35B $866.07M
Gross profit $457.82M $2.04B $372.51M
Operating income $125.54M $681.00M $89.42M
Net income $115.74M $439.00M $92.79M
Free cash flow $41.13M $455.00M $65.55M
R&D $161.53M $310.00M $112.26M
EPS (diluted) $2.17 $6.05 $2.98
Cash & equivalents $368.57M $611.00M $155.00M
Total debt – $3.94B –
Shares (diluted) 53.43M 72.70M 31.13M
Enterprise value $2.28B $12.42B $1.94B

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
MetricKLICMKSIACLS
P/E 35.9x 33.5x 37.8x
P/FCF 101.1x 32.4x 53.6x
P/Operating cash flow 75.4x 23.2x 46.6x
P/S 4.4x 3.4x 4.1x
P/B 4.6x 4.9x 3.3x
P/Tangible book 4.6x 15.2x 3.3x
EV/EBITDA 25.7x 17.3x 29.1x
EV/EBIT 29.0x 26.6x 34.8x
EV/Revenue 3.8x 4.2x 3.6x
EV/FCF 88.5x 39.7x 47.4x
EV/Operating cash flow 66.1x 28.5x 41.3x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 4.45 1.09 -1.73

Growth

14 metrics
MetricKLICMKSIACLS
Revenue growth (1Y) 44.4% 16.3% -3.3%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 4.8% 4.2% -5.4%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 61.0% 15.4% -7.4%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 5.0% 6.7% -5.2%
Operating income growth (1Y) 8,922% 33.5% -44.0%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 12.8% 35.4% -26.4%
Net income growth (1Y) 1,845% 64.4% -41.5%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 5.5% 31.0% -23.4%
EPS growth (1Y) 1,818% 52.8% -40.0%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 8.1% 30.7% -21.8%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -59.7% -1.6% -45.5%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -36.2% 20.7% -33.3%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -65.7% -13.3% -46.5%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -37.0% 22.9% -35.2%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricKLICMKSIACLS
Gross margin 48.2% 47.0% 43.0%
EBITDA margin 14.9% 24.0% 12.4%
Operating margin 13.2% 15.7% 10.3%
Pretax margin 15.2% 11.2% 12.3%
Net margin 12.2% 10.1% 10.7%
FCF margin 4.3% 10.5% 7.6%
Operating cash flow margin 5.8% 14.6% 8.7%
Return on equity 13.1% 15.2% 8.8%
Return on assets 9.2% 5.0% 6.7%
Return on invested capital – 8.9% –
Return on capital employed 13.5% 10.6% 7.6%
Asset turnover 0.8x 0.5x 0.6x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 0.5x 1.4x 0.8x
Stock comp / revenue 2.9% 1.3% 2.5%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricKLICMKSIACLS
Debt / assets – 44.1% –
Debt / equity – 1.3x –
Net debt / EBITDA – 3.2x –
Debt / FCF – 8.7x –
Liabilities / assets 30.9% 66.6% 23.1%
Equity / assets 69.1% 33.4% 76.9%
Interest coverage 836.9x 3.7x 17.2x
Current ratio 3.4x 1.1x 4.9x
Quick ratio 2.6x 0.6x 2.8x
Cash ratio 1.6x 0.3x 2.0x
Altman Z-score 9.23 2.42 8.62

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricKLICMKSIACLS
Dividend yield 1.0% 0.4% –
Net buyback yield 0.6% – 1.6%
Shareholder yield 1.6% 0.4% 1.6%
Payout ratio (earnings) 37.0% 14.4% –
Payout ratio (FCF) 104.2% 13.8% –
Dividend growth (1Y) -1.9% 6.8% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 1.2% 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.

ConsensusKLICMKSIACLS
Forward P/E 19.5xFY2026 16.2xFY2026 27.0xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $4.07FY2026 $13.48FY2026 $4.22FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +1,838.1%FY2026 +71.1%FY2026 -13.5%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +38.6% +34.9% +18.7%
Revenue, next fiscal year $1.19BFY2026 $5.43BFY2026 $920.94MFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +82.6%FY2026 +38.1%FY2026 +9.8%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +24.1% +8.0% +0.6%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersKLICMKSIACLS
Held by institutions 92.8% 100.0% 100.0%
Institutions holding 464 775 441
Change in shares held, QoQ +1.6% +2.8% -5.0%
Institutions buying 267 455 234
Institutions selling 150 252 142
Buyers to sellers 1.78 1.81 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.

KLICMKSIACLS
KLIC 1.00 0.74 0.64
MKSI 0.74 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, MKSI and ACLS?

Mks (MKSI) is the largest by market capitalisation: Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) $4.28B, Mks (MKSI) $14.97B, Axcelis Technologies (ACLS) $3.53B.

Which stock is cheaper, KLIC, MKSI and ACLS?

Mks (MKSI) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) 37.0x, Mks (MKSI) 34.0x, Axcelis Technologies (ACLS) 38.0x). On next year's consensus earnings, Mks (MKSI) is cheapest (Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) 19.5x, Mks (MKSI) 16.2x, Axcelis Technologies (ACLS) 27.0x). 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%, Mks (MKSI) +16.3%, Axcelis Technologies (ACLS) -3.3%.

Which company is more profitable?

Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) has the highest net margin (Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) 12.2%, Mks (MKSI) 10.1%, 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) +93.8%, Mks (MKSI) +55.4%, Axcelis Technologies (ACLS) +38.2%. Over five years, Axcelis Technologies (ACLS) compounded fastest (Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) +6.9%/yr, Mks (MKSI) +7.8%/yr, Axcelis Technologies (ACLS) +15.7%/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%, Mks (MKSI) 0.00%, Axcelis Technologies (ACLS) 0.00%. 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) 58.9%, Mks (MKSI) 61.8%, Axcelis Technologies (ACLS) 69.7%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, KLIC, MKSI 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.