KLIC vs MKSI vs LRCX Stock Comparison

Kulicke & Soffa Industries, Mks and Lam Research Prices as of Oct 29, 2026 Peers: Industry group
MKSI Mks Inc
$216.17 -18.7% 1M +52.9% 1Y
Market cap
$13.55B
P/E
30.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$4.35B
Div. yield
0.00%
Semiconductor Equipment Technology
2 wins
LRCX Lam Research Corp
$254.39 -21.5% 1M +58.3% 1Y
Market cap
$297.52B
P/E
35.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$26.13B
Div. yield
–
Semiconductor Equipment Technology
6 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Lam Research leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Lam Research 6, Kulicke & Soffa Industries 4, Mks 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionKLICMKSILRCXLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $3.86B $13.55B $297.52B LRCX
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 33.3x 30.8x 35.2x MKSI
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 19.6x 16.0x 25.1x MKSI
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +44.4% +16.3% +33.4% KLIC
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 12.2% 10.1% 32.3% LRCX
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital — 8.9% 49.6% LRCX
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA — 3.2x -0.4x LRCX
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.01% 0.00% 0.00% KLIC
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +100.7% +52.9% +58.3% KLIC
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +6.9%/yr +7.6%/yr +35.2%/yr LRCX
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 58.7% 61.8% 65.7% KLIC
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 56/100 55/100 66/100 LRCX

Percentile Scorecard

KLICMKSILRCX

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

AxisKLICMKSILRCX
Valuation 62 #36 of 94 76 #23 of 94 47 #50 of 94
Growth 66 #32 of 92 73 #26 of 92 82 #17 of 92
Profitability 55 #40 of 88 62 #34 of 88 94 #6 of 88
Financial Health 57 #42 of 96 1 #95 of 96 45 #53 of 96
Shareholder Returns 39 #44 of 72 63 #27 of 72 62 #28 of 72
Overall 56 55 66
  • KLIC ranked among 103 companies in Semiconductors
  • MKSI 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

PeriodKLICMKSILRCXSPY
1 month -15.0%-18.7%-21.5% +0.7%
3 months -9.8%-26.3%-14.6% +3.7%
6 months -6.8%-23.8%-1.3% +7.1%
Year to date +74.9%+35.3%+48.6% +12.8%
1 year +100.7%+52.9%+58.3% +11.9%
3 years +86.5%+230.9%+336.0% +85.2%
3 years, per year +23.1%+49.1%+63.4% +22.8%
5 years +39.8%+44.1%+351.4% +67.6%
5 years, per year +6.9%+7.6%+35.2% +10.9%
10 years +501.8%+335.4%+2,544.4% +262.0%
10 years, per year +19.7%+15.9%+38.8% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureKLICMKSILRCXSPY
Volatility, 1Y 58.7%61.8%65.7% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 63.9%65.8%65.3% 12.6%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 2.252.823.26 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 1.710.860.89 0.94
Max drawdown, 5Y -59.5%-67.5%-56.8% -25.4%
From 52-week high -40.5%-51.4%-41.3% -1.2%
52-week high $133.81$444.80$433.33 $779.14
52-week low $35.29$137.20$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.

MultipleKLICMKSILRCX
P/E now vs peer median 36.0xmedian 46.4x 33.2xmedian 46.4x 37.7xmedian 46.4x
P/S now vs peer median 4.4xmedian 7.8x 3.4xmedian 7.8x 12.2xmedian 7.8x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 25.8xmedian 27.5x 17.2xmedian 27.5x 31.0xmedian 27.5x
P/FCF now vs peer median 101.4xmedian 40.1x 32.1xmedian 40.1x 48.6xmedian 40.1x
P/B now vs peer median 4.6xmedian 4.7x 4.9xmedian 4.7x 22.8xmedian 4.7x
PEG now vs peer median 4.46median 2.10 1.08median 2.10 1.21median 2.10

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 monthsKLICMKSILRCX
Revenue $950.21M $4.35B $26.13B
Gross profit $457.82M $2.04B $13.34B
Operating income $125.54M $681.00M $9.65B
Net income $115.74M $439.00M $8.45B
Free cash flow $41.13M $455.00M $6.54B
R&D $161.53M $310.00M $2.47B
EPS (diluted) $2.17 $6.05 $6.73
Cash & equivalents $368.57M $611.00M $7.44B
Total debt – $3.94B $16.44B
Shares (diluted) 53.43M 72.70M 1.26B
Enterprise value $1.86B $10.99B $273.57B

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
MetricKLICMKSILRCX
P/E 36.0x 33.2x 37.7x
P/FCF 101.4x 32.1x 48.6x
P/Operating cash flow 75.7x 23.0x 41.9x
P/S 4.4x 3.4x 12.2x
P/B 4.6x 4.9x 22.8x
P/Tangible book 4.6x 15.0x 22.8x
EV/EBITDA 25.8x 17.2x 31.0x
EV/EBIT 29.1x 26.4x 32.5x
EV/Revenue 3.8x 4.1x 12.0x
EV/FCF 88.8x 39.4x 48.0x
EV/Operating cash flow 66.3x 28.3x 41.5x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 4.46 1.08 1.21

Growth

14 metrics
MetricKLICMKSILRCX
Revenue growth (1Y) 44.4% 16.3% 33.4%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 4.8% 4.2% 18.2%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 61.0% 15.4% 38.1%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 5.0% 6.7% 23.4%
Operating income growth (1Y) 8,922% 33.5% 49.3%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 12.8% 35.4% 29.0%
Net income growth (1Y) 1,845% 64.4% 45.4%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 5.5% 31.0% 28.6%
EPS growth (1Y) 1,818% 52.8% 47.0%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 8.1% 30.7% 31.1%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -59.7% -1.6% 18.7%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -36.2% 20.7% 15.3%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -65.7% -13.3% 17.8%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -37.0% 22.9% 13.2%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricKLICMKSILRCX
Gross margin 48.2% 47.0% 51.1%
EBITDA margin 14.9% 24.0% 38.7%
Operating margin 13.2% 15.7% 37.0%
Pretax margin 15.2% 11.2% 37.2%
Net margin 12.2% 10.1% 32.3%
FCF margin 4.3% 10.5% 25.0%
Operating cash flow margin 5.8% 14.6% 29.0%
Return on equity 13.1% 15.2% 64.1%
Return on assets 9.2% 5.0% 33.9%
Return on invested capital – 8.9% 49.6%
Return on capital employed 13.5% 10.6% 54.8%
Asset turnover 0.8x 0.5x 1.0x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 0.5x 1.4x 0.9x
Stock comp / revenue 2.9% 1.3% 1.5%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricKLICMKSILRCX
Debt / assets – 44.1% 14.2%
Debt / equity – 1.3x 0.3x
Net debt / EBITDA – 3.2x -0.4x
Debt / FCF – 8.7x 0.6x
Liabilities / assets 30.9% 66.6% 47.2%
Equity / assets 69.1% 33.4% 52.8%
Interest coverage 836.9x 3.7x –
Current ratio 3.4x 1.1x 2.5x
Quick ratio 2.6x 0.6x 1.8x
Cash ratio 1.6x 0.3x 1.0x
Altman Z-score 9.25 2.40 19.99

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricKLICMKSILRCX
Dividend yield 1.0% 0.4% 0.4%
Net buyback yield 0.6% – 1.2%
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.

ConsensusKLICMKSILRCX
Forward P/E 19.6xFY2026 16.0xFY2026 25.1xFY2027
EPS, next fiscal year $4.07FY2026 $13.48FY2026 $10.12FY2027
EPS growth, next FY +1,838.1%FY2026 +71.1%FY2026 +73.9%FY2027
EPS growth, the year after +38.6% +34.9% +12.6%
Revenue, next fiscal year $1.19BFY2026 $5.43BFY2026 $32.96BFY2027
Revenue growth, next FY +82.6%FY2026 +38.1%FY2026 +41.9%FY2027
Revenue growth, the year after +24.1% +8.0% +25.0%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersKLICMKSILRCX
Held by institutions 92.8% 100.0% 85.6%
Institutions holding 465 776 3,133
Change in shares held, QoQ +1.6% +2.8% +6.2%
Institutions buying 267 455 1,697
Institutions selling 151 253 1,163
Buyers to sellers 1.77 1.80 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.

KLICMKSILRCX
KLIC 1.00 0.74 0.69
MKSI 0.74 1.00 0.84
LRCX 0.69 0.84 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, KLIC, MKSI and LRCX?

Lam Research (LRCX) is the largest by market capitalisation: Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) $3.86B, Mks (MKSI) $13.55B, Lam Research (LRCX) $297.52B.

Which stock is cheaper, KLIC, MKSI and LRCX?

Mks (MKSI) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) 33.3x, Mks (MKSI) 30.8x, Lam Research (LRCX) 35.2x). On next year's consensus earnings, Mks (MKSI) is cheapest (Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) 19.6x, Mks (MKSI) 16.0x, Lam Research (LRCX) 25.1x). 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%, Mks (MKSI) +16.3%, Lam Research (LRCX) +33.4%.

Which company is more profitable?

Lam Research (LRCX) has the highest net margin (Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) 12.2%, Mks (MKSI) 10.1%, Lam Research (LRCX) 32.3%). On return on invested capital, Lam Research (LRCX) leads (Mks (MKSI) 8.9%, Lam Research (LRCX) 49.6%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) returned the most: Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) +100.7%, Mks (MKSI) +52.9%, Lam Research (LRCX) +58.3%. Over five years, Lam Research (LRCX) compounded fastest (Kulicke & Soffa Industries (KLIC) +6.9%/yr, Mks (MKSI) +7.6%/yr, Lam Research (LRCX) +35.2%/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%, Lam Research (LRCX) 0.00%. Lam Research (LRCX) 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) 58.7%, Mks (MKSI) 61.8%, Lam Research (LRCX) 65.7%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, KLIC, MKSI 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 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.