AMAT vs. MKSI: Applied Materials vs. MKS Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Applied Materials (AMAT) and MKS (MKSI) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Applied Materials (AMAT) and MKS (MKSI) are both classified in the Semiconductor Materials & Equipment sub-industry within the broader Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Company profile comparison for Applied Materials (AMAT) and MKS (MKSI)
Profile Item	AMAT	MKSI
Name	Applied Materials Inc.	MKS Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Information Technology	Information Technology
GICS Industry Group	Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment	Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment
GICS Industry	Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment	Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment
GICS Sub-Industry	Semiconductor Materials & Equipment	Semiconductor Materials & Equipment
Market Capitalization	264.04 billion USD	13.00 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	Nasdaq
Listing Date	March 17, 1980	March 30, 1999
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

AMAT

MKSI

GSPC

Applied Materials (AMAT) vs. MKS (MKSI), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Applied Materials (AMAT) and MKS (MKSI). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Applied Materials (AMAT) and MKS (MKSI). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Applied Materials (AMAT) and MKS (MKSI)
Metric	AMAT	MKSI
Total Return (1Y)	62.12%	35.07%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	38.42%	46.46%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	19.86%	6.02%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

AMAT

MKSI

GSPC

Applied Materials (AMAT) vs. MKS (MKSI), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Applied Materials (AMAT) and MKS (MKSI). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Applied Materials (AMAT) and MKS (MKSI)
Metric	AMAT	MKSI
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	63.72%	62.92%
Beta (5Y)	1.68	2.12
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-55.80%	-66.57%
Avg. Volume (3M)	7.16M	1.36M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

AMAT and MKSI are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Applied Materials (AMAT) and MKS (MKSI)
Metric	AMAT	MKSI
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.91	0.49
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.35	0.70

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Applied Materials (AMAT) at 41.07% sits in the top ROE quartile, while MKS (MKSI) at 20.46% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for AMAT.

AMAT

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

41.07%

Max: 52.82%
AMAT: 41.07%
Q3: 22.26%
Median: 10.58%
Q1: 1.29%
Min: -16.89%

MKSI

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

20.46%

Max: 52.82%
Q3: 22.26%
MKSI: 20.46%
Median: 10.58%
Q1: 1.29%
Min: -16.89%

Applied Materials (AMAT) vs. MKS (MKSI): A comparison of their ROE against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Applied Materials (AMAT) at 30.05% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of MKS (MKSI) at 12.62%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

AMAT

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

30.05%

Max: 63.80%
AMAT: 30.05%
Q3: 28.36%
Median: 11.44%
Q1: 0.90%
Min: -37.77%

MKSI

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

12.62%

Max: 63.80%
Q3: 28.36%
MKSI: 12.62%
Median: 11.44%
Q1: 0.90%
Min: -37.77%

Applied Materials (AMAT) vs. MKS (MKSI): A comparison of their net margin against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Applied Materials (AMAT) at 33.74% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of MKS (MKSI) at 23.21%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

AMAT

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

33.74%

Max: 58.66%
AMAT: 33.74%
Q3: 30.23%
Median: 15.91%
Q1: 7.54%
Min: -25.74%

MKSI

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

23.21%

Max: 58.66%
Q3: 30.23%
MKSI: 23.21%
Median: 15.91%
Q1: 7.54%
Min: -25.74%

Applied Materials (AMAT) vs. MKS (MKSI): A comparison of their operating margin against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Applied Materials (AMAT) and MKS (MKSI)
Metric	AMAT	MKSI
ROE (TTM)	41.07%	20.46%
ROA (TTM)	15.48%	6.28%
Net Margin (TTM)	30.05%	12.62%
Operating Margin (TTM)	33.74%	23.21%
Gross Margin (TTM)	49.40%	47.26%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Applied Materials (AMAT) at 4.39% and MKS (MKSI) at 9.62% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Applied Materials (AMAT) vs. MKS (MKSI): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

MKS (MKSI) at 55.52% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Applied Materials (AMAT) at 0.58% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for MKSI.

Applied Materials (AMAT) vs. MKS (MKSI): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Applied Materials (AMAT) and MKS (MKSI)
Metric	AMAT	MKSI
Revenue Growth (YoY)	4.39%	9.62%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	3.23%	3.49%
EPS Growth (YoY)	0.58%	55.52%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	5.19%	-7.71%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Applied Materials (AMAT) at 2.42 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while MKS (MKSI) at 1.19 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for MKSI.

AMAT

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

2.42

Max: 10.33
Q3: 5.62
Median: 3.33
AMAT: 2.42
Q1: 2.35
Min: 1.03

MKSI

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

1.19

Max: 10.33
Q3: 5.62
Median: 3.33
Q1: 2.35
MKSI: 1.19
Min: 1.03

Applied Materials (AMAT) vs. MKS (MKSI): A comparison of their current ratio against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Applied Materials (AMAT) at 0.29 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while MKS (MKSI) at 1.22 uses more debt funding than most peers.

AMAT

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

0.29

Max: 1.46
Q3: 0.65
AMAT: 0.29
Median: 0.27
Q1: 0.04
Min: 0.00

MKSI

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

1.22

Max: 1.46
MKSI: 1.22
Q3: 0.65
Median: 0.27
Q1: 0.04
Min: 0.00

Applied Materials (AMAT) vs. MKS (MKSI): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Applied Materials (AMAT) and MKS (MKSI)
Metric	AMAT	MKSI
Current Ratio (MRQ)	2.42	1.19
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.29	1.22
Net Debt / EBITDA	-0.19	2.67

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Applied Materials (AMAT) at 0.62% and MKS (MKSI) at 0.55% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

AMAT

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

0.62%

Max: 1.37%
Q3: 0.65%
AMAT: 0.62%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

MKSI

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

0.55%

Max: 1.37%
Q3: 0.65%
MKSI: 0.55%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Applied Materials (AMAT) vs. MKS (MKSI): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Applied Materials (AMAT) at 16.48% and MKS (MKSI) at 11.48% keep payout ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges — dividend policies that share earnings without consuming too much of them.

AMAT

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

16.48%

Max: 49.64%
Q3: 21.71%
AMAT: 16.48%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

MKSI

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

11.48%

Max: 49.64%
Q3: 21.71%
MKSI: 11.48%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Applied Materials (AMAT) vs. MKS (MKSI): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Applied Materials (AMAT) and MKS (MKSI)
Metric	AMAT	MKSI
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.62%	0.55%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	16.48%	11.48%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

MKS (MKSI) at 22.75 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while Applied Materials (AMAT) at 28.71 is closer to its industry’s usual earnings multiple — a discount for MKSI, though growth and earnings durability still matter.

AMAT

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

28.71

Max: 110.34
Q3: 66.81
Median: 37.02
AMAT: 28.71
Q1: 23.96
Min: 8.12

MKSI

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

22.75

Max: 110.34
Q3: 66.81
Median: 37.02
Q1: 23.96
MKSI: 22.75
Min: 8.12

Applied Materials (AMAT) vs. MKS (MKSI): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

MKS (MKSI) at 2.72 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while Applied Materials (AMAT) at 8.56 prices around its industry’s middle — MKSI costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

AMAT

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

8.56

Max: 21.42
Q3: 12.27
AMAT: 8.56
Median: 5.76
Q1: 2.73
Min: 0.00

MKSI

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

2.72

Max: 21.42
Q3: 12.27
Median: 5.76
Q1: 2.73
MKSI: 2.72
Min: 0.00

Applied Materials (AMAT) vs. MKS (MKSI): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

MKS (MKSI) at 3.96 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Applied Materials (AMAT) at 10.30 carries an above-peer premium to book — AMAT is pricier on assets.

AMAT

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

10.30

Max: 14.06
AMAT: 10.30
Q3: 7.44
Median: 4.29
Q1: 2.30
Min: 0.20

MKSI

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

3.96

Max: 14.06
Q3: 7.44
Median: 4.29
MKSI: 3.96
Q1: 2.30
Min: 0.20

Applied Materials (AMAT) vs. MKS (MKSI): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Applied Materials (AMAT) and MKS (MKSI)
Metric	AMAT	MKSI
P/E Ratio (TTM)	28.71	22.75
P/S Ratio (TTM)	8.56	2.72
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	10.30	3.96
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	1.16%	4.02%