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ACLS or FORM or QCOM
Which Stock Would AI Choose? Axcelis Technologies (ACLS) vs. FormFactor (FORM) vs. QUALCOMM Incorporated (QCOM) Stock Comparison
Key Takeaways
- ACLS has delivered strong YTD gains of approximately 74%, driven by semiconductor equipment demand, though recent volatility reflects sector swings.
- FORM leads with over 160% YTD return, fueled by record Q1 revenue and AI-related probe card growth in testing.
- QCOM shows steadier performance with recent surges from AI catalysts and a $20 billion buyback, amid diversified revenue streams.
- All three benefit from semiconductor tailwinds, but FORM exhibits superior recent momentum, while QCOM offers scale and stability.
- Relative performance highlights equipment makers (ACLS, FORM) outpacing chip designer QCOM YTD, tied to AI chip production ramps.
- Market sentiment favors testing and implantation tools amid memory and logic demand recovery.
Introduction
This comparison examines ACLS, FORM, and QCOM, key players in the semiconductor ecosystem benefiting from AI-driven demand for advanced chips. ACLS and FORM provide critical equipment for chip fabrication and testing, while QCOM designs chips and licensing IP. Traders seeking exposure to semiconductor growth, particularly in memory, logic, and edge AI, will find value in analyzing their relative performance, momentum, and sector positioning amid recent market rallies.
ACLS Overview and Recent Performance
Axcelis Technologies (ACLS) designs, manufactures, and services ion implantation equipment essential for semiconductor fabrication, serving power device, memory, and logic markets. In recent market activity, ACLS shares have surged over 70% YTD and nearly 170% over the past year, reflecting robust demand for high-energy implanters amid AI chip production. Q4 2025 earnings beat expectations with $238 million in revenue and non-GAAP EPS of $1.49, supported by strong customer service and implant bookings. Sentiment has been buoyed by memory market optimism and a pending Veeco merger, though shares experienced pullbacks amid broader sector volatility.
FORM Overview and Recent Performance
FormFactor (FORM) specializes in probe cards, analytical probes, and systems for semiconductor testing across the product lifecycle, with emphasis on DRAM, NAND, and logic devices. Recent weeks have seen explosive gains, with shares up over 160% YTD and 380% annually, propelled by record Q1 2026 revenue of $226 million (up 32% YoY) and non-GAAP EPS of $0.56, exceeding forecasts. Strong DRAM demand and foundry/logic growth drove margins to 49%, while guidance for $240 million in Q2 underscores AI testing tailwinds. Performance reflects heightened investor focus on wafer-level probing for advanced nodes.
QCOM Overview and Recent Performance
QUALCOMM Incorporated (QCOM) develops wireless technologies, semiconductors, and IP licensing, spanning handsets, automotive, IoT, and edge AI via Snapdragon platforms. In recent market activity, shares have advanced amid AI optimism, with Q2 2026 revenue at $10.6 billion and EPS of $2.65 beating estimates, alongside a $20 billion buyback. Automotive revenue jumped 38% YoY, offsetting flat handsets. YTD gains trail peers at around 10%, but 1-year returns exceed 30%, supported by diversification into data centers and on-device AI, enhancing long-term sentiment despite cyclical wireless exposure.
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Head-to-Head Comparison
ACLS and FORM focus on upstream equipment—ion implantation and probe testing—tied to fab expansions for AI chips, contrasting QCOM’s downstream chip design and QTL (Qualcomm Technology Licensing) royalties. Growth drivers differ: FORM leverages DRAM testing surges, ACLS power/SiC devices, while QCOM diversifies via automotive (38% growth) and edge AI. Recent momentum favors FORM (160%+ YTD) over ACLS (74%) and QCOM (10%), but QCOM’s $177B market cap dwarfs peers’ $4B each, offering liquidity.
Risks include cyclical fab spending for equipment stocks versus QCOM’s handset exposure; all share semiconductor volatility. Valuation sensitivity is high for ACLS and FORM amid elevated P/E ratios post-rallies, while QCOM trades more reasonably with buybacks. Sentiment tilts toward testing/equipment on AI ramps, but QCOM’s scale provides trade-offs in stability.
Tickeron AI Verdict
Tickeron’s AI currently favors FORM due to superior trend consistency, record earnings momentum, and positioning in AI-driven semiconductor testing demand. With 160%+ YTD gains and raised guidance, it shows higher probability of near-term outperformance versus ACLS’s solid but volatile equipment play and QCOM’s steadier diversification, based on observable catalysts and relative strength.
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. Disclaimers and Limitations
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 undervalued. We use an FA Score to show how many ratings show the ticker to be undervalued (green) or overvalued (red).
ACLS’s FA Score shows that 1 FA rating(s) are green whileFORM’s FA Score has 2 green FA rating(s), and QCOM’s FA Score reflects 4 green FA rating(s).
- ACLS’s FA Score: 1 green, 4 red.
- FORM’s FA Score: 2 green, 3 red.
- QCOM’s FA Score: 4 green, 1 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.
ACLS’s TA Score shows that 2 TA indicator(s) are bullish while FORM’s TA Score has 3 bullish TA indicator(s), and QCOM’s TA Score reflects 5 bullish TA indicator(s).
- ACLS’s TA Score: 2 bullish, 5 bearish.
- FORM’s TA Score: 3 bullish, 4 bearish.
- QCOM’s TA Score: 5 bullish, 4 bearish.
Price Growth
ACLS (@Electronic Production Equipment) experienced а -4.82% price change this week, while FORM (@Electronic Production Equipment) price change was -14.61% , and QCOM (@Semiconductors) price fluctuated -8.03% for the same time period.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Electronic Production Equipment industry was -0.97%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was +20.42%, and the average quarterly price growth was +140.48%.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Semiconductors industry was +4.47%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was +39.39%, and the average quarterly price growth was +81.10%.
Reported Earning Dates
ACLS is expected to report earnings on Aug 05, 2026.
FORM is expected to report earnings on Aug 05, 2026.
QCOM is expected to report earnings on Aug 05, 2026.
Industries' Descriptions
@Electronic Production Equipment (-0.97% 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 (+4.47% 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.
| ACLS | FORM | QCOM | |
| Capitalization | 4.77B | 9.84B | 212B |
| EBITDA | 139M | 128M | 14B |
| Gain YTD | 93.154 | 126.354 | 18.552 |
| P/E Ratio | 48.19 | 145.13 | 21.67 |
| Revenue | 845M | 840M | 44.5B |
| Total Cash | 367M | 303M | 9.8B |
| Total Debt | 42M | 31.9M | 15.3B |
ACLS | FORM | QCOM | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
OUTLOOK RATING 1..100 | 81 | 80 | 25 | |
VALUATION overvalued / fair valued / undervalued 1..100 | 59 Fair valued | 84 Overvalued | 27 Undervalued | |
PROFIT vs RISK RATING 1..100 | 58 | 23 | 53 | |
SMR RATING 1..100 | 71 | 80 | 26 | |
PRICE GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 36 | 36 | 7 | |
P/E GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 3 | 5 | 19 | |
SEASONALITY SCORE 1..100 | 31 | 50 | 50 |
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.
QCOM's Valuation (27) in the Telecommunications Equipment industry is in the same range as ACLS (59) in the Electronic Production Equipment industry, and is somewhat better than the same rating for FORM (84) in the Electronic Production Equipment industry. This means that QCOM's stock grew similarly to ACLS’s and somewhat faster than FORM’s over the last 12 months.
FORM's Profit vs Risk Rating (23) in the Electronic Production Equipment industry is in the same range as QCOM (53) in the Telecommunications Equipment industry, and is somewhat better than the same rating for ACLS (58) in the Electronic Production Equipment industry. This means that FORM's stock grew similarly to QCOM’s and somewhat faster than ACLS’s over the last 12 months.
QCOM's SMR Rating (26) in the Telecommunications Equipment industry is somewhat better than the same rating for ACLS (71) in the Electronic Production Equipment industry, and is somewhat better than the same rating for FORM (80) in the Electronic Production Equipment industry. This means that QCOM's stock grew somewhat faster than ACLS’s and somewhat faster than FORM’s over the last 12 months.
QCOM's Price Growth Rating (7) in the Telecommunications Equipment industry is in the same range as ACLS (36) in the Electronic Production Equipment industry, and is in the same range as FORM (36) in the Electronic Production Equipment industry. This means that QCOM's stock grew similarly to ACLS’s and similarly to FORM’s over the last 12 months.
ACLS's P/E Growth Rating (3) in the Electronic Production Equipment industry is in the same range as FORM (5) in the Electronic Production Equipment industry, and is in the same range as QCOM (19) in the Telecommunications Equipment industry. This means that ACLS's stock grew similarly to FORM’s and similarly to QCOM’s over the last 12 months.
| ACLS | FORM | QCOM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| RSI ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 76% | 2 days ago 78% | 2 days ago 63% |
| Stochastic ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 74% | 2 days ago 89% | 2 days ago 67% |
| Momentum ODDS (%) | N/A | 2 days ago 77% | 4 days ago 70% |
| MACD ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 82% | 2 days ago 75% | N/A |
| TrendWeek ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 76% | 2 days ago 69% | 2 days ago 68% |
| TrendMonth ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 83% | 2 days ago 70% | 2 days ago 67% |
| Advances ODDS (%) | 6 days ago 82% | 6 days ago 77% | 6 days ago 64% |
| Declines ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 78% | 2 days ago 68% | 13 days ago 72% |
| BollingerBands ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 78% | N/A | 2 days ago 68% |
| Aroon ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 85% | 2 days ago 85% | 2 days ago 67% |
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| 1 Day | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ETFs / NAME | Price $ | Chg $ | Chg % |
| SIXG | 81.28 | N/A | N/A |
| DEFIANCE CONNECTIVE TECHNOLOGIES ETF | |||
| CSSD | 25.16 | -0.05 | -0.18% |
| Cohen & Steers Sh Dur Pref & Inc Act ETF | |||
| NAPR | 58.71 | -0.19 | -0.32% |
| Innovator Nasdaq-100 Pwr Bffr ETF Apr | |||
| NOVZ | 46.63 | -0.19 | -0.40% |
| TrueShares Structured Outcome Nov ETF | |||
| VCEB | 62.27 | -0.32 | -0.51% |
| Vanguard ESG US Corporate Bond ETF | |||
ACLS and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, ACLS has been closely correlated with VECO. These tickers have moved in lockstep 86% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is a high statistical probability that if ACLS jumps, then VECO could also see price increases.
| Ticker / NAME | Correlation To ACLS | 1D Price Change % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACLS | 100% | -4.00% | ||
| VECO - ACLS | 86% Closely correlated | -1.58% | ||
| NXPI - ACLS | 71% Closely correlated | -0.91% | ||
| ADI - ACLS | 70% Closely correlated | -2.18% | ||
| QCOM - ACLS | 70% Closely correlated | +0.70% | ||
| POWI - ACLS | 70% Closely correlated | +2.19% | ||
More | ||||
FORM and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, FORM has been closely correlated with RMBS. These tickers have moved in lockstep 74% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is a high statistical probability that if FORM jumps, then RMBS could also see price increases.
| Ticker / NAME | Correlation To FORM | 1D Price Change % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FORM | 100% | -1.35% | ||
| RMBS - FORM | 74% Closely correlated | -2.70% | ||
| SLAB - FORM | 73% Closely correlated | -0.32% | ||
| ADI - FORM | 72% Closely correlated | -2.18% | ||
| ARM - FORM | 72% Closely correlated | -8.46% | ||
| QCOM - FORM | 72% Closely correlated | +0.70% | ||
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QCOM and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, QCOM has been closely correlated with LRCX. These tickers have moved in lockstep 80% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is a high statistical probability that if QCOM jumps, then LRCX could also see price increases.
| Ticker / NAME | Correlation To QCOM | 1D Price Change % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QCOM | 100% | +0.70% | ||
| LRCX - QCOM | 80% Closely correlated | -4.82% | ||
| KLAC - QCOM | 78% Closely correlated | -4.68% | ||
| AMKR - QCOM | 76% Closely correlated | -2.41% | ||
| AMAT - QCOM | 74% Closely correlated | -0.89% | ||
| KLIC - QCOM | 74% Closely correlated | -1.97% | ||
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