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ASX vs. KLAC: ASE vs. KLA Stock Comparison

How do ASE (ASX) and KLA (KLAC) 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

ASE (ASX) and KLA (KLAC) both belong to the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry, though ASX is classified under Semiconductors while KLAC falls under Semiconductor Materials & Equipment.

KLA (KLAC) trades as ordinary local shares, while ASE (ASX) trades as an ADR — compare with FX exposure, depositary-program fees, and dividend-withholding-tax differences in mind.

Company profile comparison for ASE (ASX) and KLA (KLAC)
Profile ItemASXKLAC
NameASE Technology Holding Co., Ltd. ADRKLA Corporation
Country/RegionTaiwanUnited States
GICS SectorInformation TechnologyInformation Technology
GICS Industry GroupSemiconductors & Semiconductor EquipmentSemiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment
GICS IndustrySemiconductors & Semiconductor EquipmentSemiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment
GICS Sub-IndustrySemiconductorsSemiconductor Materials & Equipment
Market Capitalization69.83 billion USD180.45 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENasdaq
Listing DateOctober 2, 2000October 8, 1980
Security TypeADRCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ASX
KLAC
GSPC
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ASE (ASX) vs. KLA (KLAC), 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 ASE (ASX) and KLA (KLAC). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for ASE (ASX) and KLA (KLAC). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for ASE (ASX) and KLA (KLAC)
MetricASXKLAC
Total Return (1Y)127.56%26.92%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)67.56%44.97%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)41.55%30.55%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ASX
KLAC
GSPC
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ASE (ASX) vs. KLA (KLAC), 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 ASE (ASX) and KLA (KLAC). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for ASE (ASX) and KLA (KLAC)
MetricASXKLAC
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)62.95%63.92%
Beta (5Y)1.831.51
Max Drawdown (5Y)-40.64%-56.93%
Avg. Volume (3M)7.76M10.66M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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ASX and KLAC 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 ASE (ASX) and KLA (KLAC)
MetricASXKLAC
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)1.960.35
Sortino Ratio (1Y)2.770.50

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

KLA (KLAC) at 91.38% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than ASE (ASX) at 19.90%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

ASX

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

19.90%

Max
52.82%
Q3
22.26%
ASX
19.90%
Median
10.58%
Q1
1.29%
Min
-16.89%

KLAC

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

91.38%

KLAC
91.38%
Max
52.82%
Q3
22.26%
Median
10.58%
Q1
1.29%
Min
-16.89%
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ASE (ASX) vs. KLA (KLAC): A comparison of their ROE against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

KLA (KLAC) at 36.25% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of ASE (ASX) at 9.78%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

ASX

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

9.78%

Max
63.80%
Q3
28.36%
Median
11.44%
ASX
9.78%
Q1
0.90%
Min
-37.77%

KLAC

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

36.25%

Max
63.80%
KLAC
36.25%
Q3
28.36%
Median
11.44%
Q1
0.90%
Min
-37.77%
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ASE (ASX) vs. KLA (KLAC): A comparison of their net margin against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

KLA (KLAC) at 45.01% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of ASE (ASX) at 13.57%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

ASX

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

13.57%

Max
58.66%
Q3
30.23%
Median
15.91%
ASX
13.57%
Q1
7.54%
Min
-25.74%

KLAC

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

45.01%

Max
58.66%
KLAC
45.01%
Q3
30.23%
Median
15.91%
Q1
7.54%
Min
-25.74%
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ASE (ASX) vs. KLA (KLAC): A comparison of their operating margin against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for ASE (ASX) and KLA (KLAC)
MetricASXKLAC
ROE (TTM)19.90%91.38%
ROA (TTM)5.36%22.27%
Net Margin (TTM)9.78%36.25%
Operating Margin (TTM)13.57%45.01%
Gross Margin (TTM)20.80%61.47%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both ASE (ASX) at 8.39% and KLA (KLAC) at 11.71% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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ASE (ASX) vs. KLA (KLAC): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both ASE (ASX) at 22.96% and KLA (KLAC) at 20.51% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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ASE (ASX) vs. KLA (KLAC): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for ASE (ASX) and KLA (KLAC)
MetricASXKLAC
Revenue Growth (YoY)8.39%11.71%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)-1.28%8.96%
EPS Growth (YoY)22.96%20.51%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)-13.66%14.87%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

KLA (KLAC) at 2.76 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while ASE (ASX) at 1.16 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for ASX.

ASX

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

1.16

Max
10.33
Q3
5.62
Median
3.33
Q1
2.35
ASX
1.16
Min
1.03

KLAC

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

2.76

Max
10.33
Q3
5.62
Median
3.33
KLAC
2.76
Q1
2.35
Min
1.03
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ASE (ASX) vs. KLA (KLAC): A comparison of their current ratio against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both ASE (ASX) at 0.87 and KLA (KLAC) at 0.92 lean more heavily on debt funding than most peers, landing in the higher-leverage quartile of their industries.

ASX

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

0.87

Max
1.46
ASX
0.87
Q3
0.65
Median
0.27
Q1
0.04
Min
0.00

KLAC

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

0.92

Max
1.46
KLAC
0.92
Q3
0.65
Median
0.27
Q1
0.04
Min
0.00
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ASE (ASX) vs. KLA (KLAC): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for ASE (ASX) and KLA (KLAC)
MetricASXKLAC
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.162.76
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.870.92
Net Debt / EBITDA1.850.19

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

ASE (ASX) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile KLA (KLAC) reports a yield of 0.65%, ranking against industry peers normally.

ASX

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

0.00%

Max
1.37%
Q3
0.65%
ASX
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

KLAC

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

0.65%

Max
1.37%
Q3
0.65%
KLAC
0.65%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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ASE (ASX) vs. KLA (KLAC): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

KLA (KLAC) at 21.03% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while ASE (ASX) at 39.77% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

ASX

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

39.77%

Max
49.64%
ASX
39.77%
Q3
21.71%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

KLAC

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

21.03%

Max
49.64%
Q3
21.71%
KLAC
21.03%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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ASE (ASX) vs. KLA (KLAC): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for ASE (ASX) and KLA (KLAC)
MetricASXKLAC
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.00%0.65%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)39.77%21.03%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both ASE (ASX) at 30.41 and KLA (KLAC) at 34.71 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

ASX

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

30.41

Max
110.34
Q3
66.81
Median
37.02
ASX
30.41
Q1
23.96
Min
8.12

KLAC

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

34.71

Max
110.34
Q3
66.81
Median
37.02
KLAC
34.71
Q1
23.96
Min
8.12
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ASE (ASX) vs. KLA (KLAC): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

ASE (ASX) at 0.09 looks cheap on sales in the lower P/S ratio quartile, while KLA (KLAC) at 12.44 looks rich in the upper quartile — a clear gap in price per dollar of revenue.

ASX

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

0.09

Max
21.42
Q3
12.27
Median
5.76
Q1
2.73
ASX
0.09
Min
0.00

KLAC

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

12.44

Max
21.42
KLAC
12.44
Q3
12.27
Median
5.76
Q1
2.73
Min
0.00
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ASE (ASX) vs. KLA (KLAC): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

ASE (ASX) at 5.34 sits near its industry’s typical P/B ratio, while KLA (KLAC) at 27.67 prices above its benchmark range — KLAC looks rich relative to book.

ASX

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

5.34

Max
14.06
Q3
7.44
ASX
5.34
Median
4.29
Q1
2.30
Min
0.20

KLAC

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

27.67

KLAC
27.67
Max
14.06
Q3
7.44
Median
4.29
Q1
2.30
Min
0.20
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ASE (ASX) vs. KLA (KLAC): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for ASE (ASX) and KLA (KLAC)
MetricASXKLAC
P/E Ratio (TTM)30.4134.71
P/S Ratio (TTM)0.0912.44
P/B Ratio (MRQ)5.3427.67
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)-275.26%1.56%