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KLAC vs. MKSI: KLA vs. MKS Stock Comparison

How do KLA (KLAC) 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

KLA (KLAC) 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 KLA (KLAC) and MKS (MKSI)
Profile ItemKLACMKSI
NameKLA CorporationMKS Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorInformation TechnologyInformation Technology
GICS Industry GroupSemiconductors & Semiconductor EquipmentSemiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment
GICS IndustrySemiconductors & Semiconductor EquipmentSemiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment
GICS Sub-IndustrySemiconductor Materials & EquipmentSemiconductor Materials & Equipment
Market Capitalization180.45 billion USD13.00 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNasdaqNasdaq
Listing DateOctober 8, 1980March 30, 1999
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

KLAC
MKSI
GSPC
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KLA (KLAC) 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 KLA (KLAC) and MKS (MKSI). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for KLA (KLAC) and MKS (MKSI)
MetricKLACMKSI
Total Return (1Y)26.92%35.07%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)44.97%46.46%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)30.55%6.02%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

KLAC
MKSI
GSPC
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KLA (KLAC) 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 KLA (KLAC) and MKS (MKSI). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for KLA (KLAC) and MKS (MKSI)
MetricKLACMKSI
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)63.92%62.92%
Beta (5Y)1.512.12
Max Drawdown (5Y)-56.93%-66.57%
Avg. Volume (3M)10.66M1.36M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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KLAC 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 KLA (KLAC) and MKS (MKSI)
MetricKLACMKSI
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.350.49
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.500.70

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

KLA (KLAC) at 91.38% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than MKS (MKSI) at 20.46%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

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%

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%
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KLA (KLAC) vs. MKS (MKSI): 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 MKS (MKSI) at 12.62%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

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%

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%
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KLA (KLAC) vs. MKS (MKSI): 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 MKS (MKSI) at 23.21%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

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%

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%
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KLA (KLAC) vs. MKS (MKSI): A comparison of their operating margin against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for KLA (KLAC) and MKS (MKSI)
MetricKLACMKSI
ROE (TTM)91.38%20.46%
ROA (TTM)22.27%6.28%
Net Margin (TTM)36.25%12.62%
Operating Margin (TTM)45.01%23.21%
Gross Margin (TTM)61.47%47.26%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both KLA (KLAC) at 11.71% 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.

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KLA (KLAC) 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 KLA (KLAC) at 20.51% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for MKSI.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for KLA (KLAC) and MKS (MKSI)
MetricKLACMKSI
Revenue Growth (YoY)11.71%9.62%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)8.96%3.49%
EPS Growth (YoY)20.51%55.52%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)14.87%-7.71%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

KLA (KLAC) at 2.76 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.

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

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both KLA (KLAC) at 0.92 and MKS (MKSI) at 1.22 lean more heavily on debt funding than most peers, landing in the higher-leverage quartile of their industries.

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

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
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KLA (KLAC) 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 KLA (KLAC) and MKS (MKSI)
MetricKLACMKSI
Current Ratio (MRQ)2.761.19
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.921.22
Net Debt / EBITDA0.192.67

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both KLA (KLAC) at 0.65% and MKS (MKSI) at 0.55% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

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%

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%
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KLA (KLAC) vs. MKS (MKSI): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both KLA (KLAC) at 21.03% 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.

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%

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%
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KLA (KLAC) vs. MKS (MKSI): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for KLA (KLAC) and MKS (MKSI)
MetricKLACMKSI
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.65%0.55%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)21.03%11.48%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

MKS (MKSI) at 22.75 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while KLA (KLAC) at 34.71 is closer to its industry’s usual earnings multiple — a discount for MKSI, though growth and earnings durability still matter.

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

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
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KLA (KLAC) 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 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.

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

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
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KLA (KLAC) 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 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.

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

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for KLA (KLAC) and MKS (MKSI)
MetricKLACMKSI
P/E Ratio (TTM)34.7122.75
P/S Ratio (TTM)12.442.72
P/B Ratio (MRQ)27.673.96
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)1.56%4.02%