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KLAC vs NVDA
Which Stock Would AI Choose? KLA Corporation (KLAC) vs. NVIDIA (NVDA) Stock Comparison
Key Takeaways
- KLAC (KLA Corporation) supplies semiconductor process-control equipment, while NVDA (NVIDIA) designs the AI accelerator chips and platforms that drive demand for such equipment.
- Both companies are benefiting from the same artificial intelligence (AI) capital-expenditure cycle, but they occupy different positions within the semiconductor value chain.
- NVDA has delivered larger absolute revenue and earnings growth, while KLAC has shown stronger recent share-price momentum and a valuation multiple that reflects higher growth expectations.
- KLAC completed a 10-for-1 stock split in mid-2026 and raised its industry outlook, while NVDA expanded its buyback authorization to a record level.
- NVDA is far larger by market capitalization and carries higher historical volatility (a higher beta), whereas KLAC offers a more diversified revenue mix across foundry, logic, and memory customers.
Introduction
Investors tracking the AI buildout frequently compare the companies that design AI chips with the companies that supply the tools used to manufacture them. This stock comparison examines KLAC, a leader in semiconductor inspection and metrology equipment, and NVDA, the dominant designer of graphics processing units (GPUs, the accelerators used to train and run AI models). The two are not direct competitors; rather, they are linked by the same demand cycle. Growth-oriented traders may find this comparison useful for understanding relative performance, while long-term investors may weigh each company's market positioning and risk profile.
KLAC Overview and Recent Performance
KLAC (KLA Corporation) develops process-control and yield-management systems used by semiconductor manufacturers, including inspection, metrology, and related services. Its tools help chipmakers monitor and improve production quality, making KLA an indirect beneficiary of AI-driven fabrication investment. In recent weeks, the stock has traded with notable momentum, with shares up sharply over the past year and well above their 50-day and 200-day moving averages.
Recent performance has been supported by record quarterly revenue and strong forward guidance. KLA reported roughly $3.66 billion in quarterly revenue, an increase of about 15% year over year, and raised its outlook for the wafer-fabrication equipment market. Management cited accelerating demand from AI infrastructure, leading-edge logic, high-bandwidth memory (HBM, a fast memory type used with AI chips), and advanced packaging. The company also completed a 10-for-1 stock split, and its process-control and advanced-packaging businesses have been key growth drivers. Analysts have raised price targets in response, reflecting improved conviction in KLA's end-market positioning.
NVDA Overview and Recent Performance
NVDA (NVIDIA) designs GPUs, central processing units (CPUs), networking components, and software that together form the computing backbone of modern AI data centers. It is the world's largest company by market capitalization, at roughly $5.5 trillion. Recent market activity has shown more moderate momentum than earlier in the AI boom: shares have advanced in the low-20% range over the past year, a slower pace than the triple-digit gains of prior periods.
Fundamentally, NVIDIA continues to report exceptional growth. Its most recent quarter produced roughly $96 billion in revenue, up more than 100% year over year, driven by data-center sales, and management guided to approximately $108 billion in the following quarter. The Blackwell platform is ramping, and the newer Vera Rubin architecture has begun shipping. NVIDIA also added $150 billion to its share-repurchase authorization, bringing the total to $235 billion. Sentiment has been shaped by strong execution alongside questions about customer concentration and whether AI spending can be sustained at current levels.
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Head-to-Head Comparison
The core trade-off between these two stocks is one of direct versus indirect AI exposure. NVDA monetizes AI demand directly through chip and platform sales, producing higher margins and far larger absolute cash flows. KLAC, by contrast, sells the equipment that enables advanced chip production, giving it broad exposure across multiple customers and end markets rather than concentration in a handful of hyperscale buyers.
Growth drivers differ in scale and pace. NVDA's revenue growth has exceeded 100% year over year in recent quarters, while KLAC's growth has been solidly in the low-to-mid-teens percentage range. Recent momentum, however, has favored KLAC, which has outperformed over trailing periods and trades at a higher forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio (a valuation measure comparing price to expected earnings) than NVDA. Risk factors also diverge: NVDA faces customer-concentration and supply-commitment risks, while KLAC is exposed to cyclical swings in semiconductor equipment spending and geographic concentration across Taiwan and China. Both carry meaningful sector exposure to AI infrastructure, but KLAC's process-control franchise adds diversification across memory and logic manufacturing.
Tickeron AI Verdict
Based on observable factors, Tickeron's AI would likely favor KLAC for its recent trend consistency and relative strength, given the stock's strong momentum, analyst upgrades, and diversified end-market demand. NVDA offers the more powerful fundamental growth engine and superior cash generation but has shown more moderated price momentum and a higher sensitivity to sentiment shifts. In probabilistic terms, a momentum-oriented system would tend to tilt toward KLAC in the current environment, while a fundamentals- and growth-oriented system might weight NVDA's durable earnings power more heavily. Neither position is presented as a recommendation, and the appropriate weighting depends on each investor's objectives and risk tolerance.
Disclaimer
The information on this webpage is provided for general informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as investment advice, a recommendation to purchase or sell any security, or an offer or solicitation related to investments. It does not consider your personal financial situation, goals, or risk profile, and all investing carries inherent risks, including the possibility of losing your entire investment. For more details, please review our full disclaimer.
To compare these two companies we present long-term analysis, their fundamental ratings and make comparative short-term technical analysis which are presented below. The conclusion is KLAC is a Buy and NVDA is a StrongBuy.
KLAC | NVDA | ||
|---|---|---|---|
OUTLOOK RATING 1..100 | 50 | 50 | |
VALUATION overvalued / fair valued / undervalued 1..100 | 88 Overvalued | 75 Overvalued | |
PROFIT vs RISK RATING 1..100 | 35 | 4 | |
SMR RATING 1..100 | 15 | 13 | |
PRICE GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 38 | 38 | |
P/E GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 13 | 88 | |
SEASONALITY SCORE 1..100 | 85 | 90 |
Tickeron ratings are formulated such that a rating of 1 designates the most successful stocks in a given industry, while a rating of 100 points to the least successful stocks for that industry.
NVDA's Valuation (75) in the Semiconductors industry is in the same range as KLAC (88) in the Electronic Production Equipment industry. This means that NVDA’s stock grew similarly to KLAC’s over the last 12 months.
NVDA's Profit vs Risk Rating (4) in the Semiconductors industry is in the same range as KLAC (35) in the Electronic Production Equipment industry. This means that NVDA’s stock grew similarly to KLAC’s over the last 12 months.
NVDA's SMR Rating (13) in the Semiconductors industry is in the same range as KLAC (15) in the Electronic Production Equipment industry. This means that NVDA’s stock grew similarly to KLAC’s over the last 12 months.
NVDA's Price Growth Rating (38) in the Semiconductors industry is in the same range as KLAC (38) in the Electronic Production Equipment industry. This means that NVDA’s stock grew similarly to KLAC’s over the last 12 months.
KLAC's P/E Growth Rating (13) in the Electronic Production Equipment industry is significantly better than the same rating for NVDA (88) in the Semiconductors industry. This means that KLAC’s stock grew significantly faster than NVDA’s over the last 12 months.
| KLAC | NVDA | |
|---|---|---|
| RSI ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 65% | N/A |
| Stochastic ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 70% | 3 days ago 71% |
| Momentum ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 76% | 3 days ago 81% |
| MACD ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 77% | 3 days ago 76% |
| TrendWeek ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 77% | 3 days ago 82% |
| TrendMonth ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 80% | 3 days ago 80% |
| Advances ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 77% | 3 days ago 83% |
| Declines ODDS (%) | 11 days ago 59% | 11 days ago 68% |
| BollingerBands ODDS (%) | N/A | N/A |
| Aroon ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 67% | 3 days ago 77% |
Long-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a long-term outlook for a ticker by using Fundamental Analysis (FA) ratings. The rating of 1 to 100, where 1 is best and 100 is worst, is divided into thirds. The first third (a green rating of 1-33) indicates that the ticker is undervalued; the second third (a grey number between 34 and 66) means that the ticker is valued fairly; and the last third (red number of 67 to 100) reflects that the ticker is overvalued. We use an FA Score to show how many ratings show the ticker to be undervalued (green) or overvalued (red).
KLAC’s FA Score shows that 2 FA rating(s) are green while NVDA’s FA Score has 2 green FA rating(s).
- KLAC’s FA Score: 2 green, 3 red.
- NVDA’s FA Score: 2 green, 3 red.
Short-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a short-term outlook for a ticker by using Technical Analysis (TA) indicators. We use Odds of Success as the percentage of outcomes which confirm successful trade signals in the past.
If the Odds of Success (the likelihood of the continuation of a trend) for each indicator are greater than 50%, then the generated signal is confirmed. A green percentage from 90% to 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bullish trend. A red percentage from 90% - 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bearish trend. All grey percentages are below 50% and are considered not to confirm the trend signal.
KLAC’s TA Score shows that 5 TA indicator(s) are bullish while NVDA’s TA Score has 5 bullish TA indicator(s).
- KLAC’s TA Score: 5 bullish, 4 bearish.
- NVDA’s TA Score: 5 bullish, 2 bearish.
Price Growth
KLAC (@Electronic Production Equipment) experienced а +10.09% price change this week, while NVDA (@Semiconductors) price change was +3.95% for the same time period.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Electronic Production Equipment industry was +7.24%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was +18.77%, and the average quarterly price growth was +32.75%.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Semiconductors industry was +3.28%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was +15.27%, and the average quarterly price growth was +62.44%.
Reported Earning Dates
KLAC is expected to report earnings on Oct 28, 2026.
NVDA is expected to report earnings on Nov 25, 2026.
Industries' Descriptions
@Electronic Production Equipment (+7.24% weekly)The electronic production equipment industry makes equipment used to produce semiconductors. Such equipment includes wafer fabrication, plasma etching and photo-resist processing equipment. The industry also makes chemical vapor deposition processing systems and photomasks, which are high-purity quartz plates that contain patterns to define integrated circuits layouts. Applied Materials, Inc., Lam Research Corporation, and KLA-Tencor Corporation are examples of electronic production equipment manufacturing companies.
@Semiconductors (+3.28% weekly)The semiconductor industry manufacturers all chip-related products, including research and development. These chips are used in innumerable electronic devices, including computers, cell phones, smartphones, and GPSs. Intel Corporation, NVIDIA Corp., and Broadcomm are some of the prominent players in this industry. Semiconductor companies usually tend to do well during periods of healthy economic growth, thereby inducing further research and development in the industry – which in turn augurs well for productivity and growth in the economy. In the near future, demand for semiconductor products (and possibly innovation within the segment) should only expand further, with the proliferation of 5G, autonomous vehicles, IoT, and various AI-driven electronics set to herald a new, advanced chapter in the technology-driven world as we know it. With burgeoning prospects comes great competition. In 2015, SIA estimated that U.S. semiconductor industry ranks as the second most competitive U.S. industry out of 2882 U.S. industries designated manufacturers by the U.S. Census Bureau.
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KLAC and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, KLAC has been closely correlated with LRCX. These tickers have moved in lockstep 87% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is a high statistical probability that if KLAC jumps, then LRCX could also see price increases.
| Ticker / NAME | Correlation To KLAC | 1D Price Change % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KLAC | 100% | +3.27% | ||
| LRCX - KLAC | 87% Closely correlated | +2.17% | ||
| AMAT - KLAC | 87% Closely correlated | +2.03% | ||
| NVMI - KLAC | 86% Closely correlated | +2.46% | ||
| ASML - KLAC | 81% Closely correlated | +3.25% | ||
| ONTO - KLAC | 81% Closely correlated | +4.09% | ||
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NVDA and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, NVDA has been closely correlated with LRCX. These tickers have moved in lockstep 70% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is a high statistical probability that if NVDA jumps, then LRCX could also see price increases.
| Ticker / NAME | Correlation To NVDA | 1D Price Change % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NVDA | 100% | +1.34% | ||
| LRCX - NVDA | 70% Closely correlated | +2.17% | ||
| KLAC - NVDA | 69% Closely correlated | +3.27% | ||
| AMAT - NVDA | 66% Closely correlated | +2.03% | ||
| AMKR - NVDA | 63% Loosely correlated | +5.90% | ||
| CAMT - NVDA | 63% Loosely correlated | +7.41% | ||
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