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AMAT or AMD or KLIC
Which Stock Would AI Choose? Applied Materials (AMAT) vs. Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) vs. Kulicke and Soffa Industries (KLIC) Stock Comparison
Key Takeaways
- AMAT has delivered over 60% year-to-date gains, driven by strong semiconductor equipment demand amid AI infrastructure buildout.
- AMD reported Q1 2026 revenue up 38% year-over-year to $10.3 billion, with data center sales surging 57%, fueling recent stock momentum exceeding 60% YTD.
- KLIC shares have risen over 100% YTD, benefiting from advanced packaging demand in memory and AI applications, with Q2 earnings upcoming.
- All three stocks operate in the semiconductor ecosystem, with AMAT and KLIC as equipment providers and AMD as a chip designer, showing relative strength versus broader market indices.
- Recent market activity highlights AI-driven catalysts boosting performance, though valuation sensitivity varies with AMD's higher P/E ratio around 130 compared to AMAT's 40.
- Tickeron's AI bots trading semiconductor tickers like these have achieved up to 95% annualized returns in trending strategies.
Introduction
This stock comparison examines AMAT (Applied Materials), AMD (Advanced Micro Devices), and KLIC (Kulicke and Soffa Industries), key players in the semiconductor sector amid surging AI and high-performance computing demand. These companies represent diverse roles—equipment manufacturing, chip design, and assembly tools—offering traders and investors insights into relative performance, growth drivers, and market positioning. With recent earnings beats and YTD gains far outpacing the S&P 500's 6%, this analysis aids those tracking semiconductor trends, relative strength, and potential trade-offs in volatility and valuation.
AMAT Overview and Recent Performance
Applied Materials (AMAT), a leading provider of materials engineering solutions for semiconductor manufacturing, including deposition, etching, and inspection equipment, has seen robust stock performance in recent market activity. Year-to-date returns exceed 60%, significantly outperforming the S&P 500. In Q1 fiscal 2026, revenue reached $7.01 billion, down 2% year-over-year but beating estimates, with non-GAAP EPS at $2.38 and record DRAM revenue driven by AI-related high-bandwidth memory demand. Sentiment has been bolstered by strong services growth and AI infrastructure catalysts, though U.S.-China trade tensions pose risks. Trading around a P/E of 40 with a $326 billion market cap, AMAT reflects sustained investor confidence in its foundational role in chip production.
AMD Overview and Recent Performance
Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), a fabless designer of high-performance CPUs, GPUs, and AI accelerators like EPYC and Instinct, has experienced explosive growth tied to data center expansion. Year-to-date gains surpass 60%, with shares recently surging post-Q1 results. Q1 2026 revenue hit $10.3 billion, up 38% year-over-year and beating expectations, led by 57% data center growth to $5.8 billion amid AI workloads; non-GAAP EPS rose 43% to $1.37. Recent weeks show monthly gains over 70%, fueled by strong guidance for Q2 at $11.2 billion. With a market cap over $500 billion and elevated P/E near 130, performance reflects AI momentum but heightens volatility sensitivity.
KLIC Overview and Recent Performance
Kulicke and Soffa Industries (KLIC) specializes in semiconductor assembly equipment, including ball bonding, wedge bonding, and advanced packaging solutions for memory and power devices. Shares have doubled YTD, up over 100%, outpacing peers amid advanced packaging demand for AI and high-bandwidth memory. Q1 fiscal 2026 revenue grew to $199.6 million with non-GAAP EPS of $0.44, beating estimates on recovering semiconductor utilization above 80%. Recent market activity shows 30% monthly gains, supported by thermo-compression bonding growth. With a $4.8 billion market cap and upcoming Q2 earnings on May 6, 2026, sentiment centers on memory recovery and AI tailwinds.
Trending AI Robots
Tickeron’s Trending AI Robots page showcases the top 25 AI trading bots selected from over 351 total bots that trade thousands of tickers across diverse strategies, timeframes, and market conditions. These curated bots stand out for current volatility in growth sectors like semiconductors and AI infrastructure, posting annualized returns up to 169%, win rates of 51-88%, and profit factors reaching 11.7. Examples include semiconductor-focused bots trading AMAT, AMD, and peers like NVDA and ASML, with gains like 95% annualized and 63% win rates. Varying from short-term 5-minute scalps to swing trades, they adapt to momentum, sector rotation, and risk management. Traders can explore these high-performing, real-time signal generators tailored to today's market dynamics.
Head-to-Head Comparison
AMAT and KLIC focus on equipment for fabrication and assembly, offering stable exposure to capex cycles with lower volatility than AMD's end-product design model. Growth drivers diverge: AMD leverages direct AI chip demand (data center 57% growth), while AMAT benefits from broad logic/DRAM tools and KLIC from packaging for high-bandwidth memory. Recent momentum favors KLIC (100%+ YTD) over AMAT (60%), but AMD's post-earnings surge highlights acceleration. Risk factors include trade restrictions for AMAT, competition from Nvidia for AMD, and cyclicality for KLIC. Valuation shows AMAT at 40x P/E most accessible, versus AMD's premium. Sector exposure ties all to semis, with sentiment strongest around AI catalysts.
Tickeron AI Verdict
Tickeron’s AI currently favors AMD due to superior trend consistency from 38% revenue growth and 57% data center expansion, positioning it ahead in AI accelerators and CPUs. While AMAT offers stability with beat Q1 results and KLIC shows packaging upside, AMD's catalysts and relative YTD momentum suggest higher probability of outperformance in the near term, though with elevated volatility.
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).
AMAT’s FA Score shows that 4 FA rating(s) are green whileAMD’s FA Score has 3 green FA rating(s), and KLIC’s FA Score reflects 0 green FA rating(s).
- AMAT’s FA Score: 4 green, 1 red.
- AMD’s FA Score: 3 green, 2 red.
- KLIC’s FA Score: 0 green, 5 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.
AMAT’s TA Score shows that 4 TA indicator(s) are bullish while AMD’s TA Score has 2 bullish TA indicator(s), and KLIC’s TA Score reflects 3 bullish TA indicator(s).
- AMAT’s TA Score: 4 bullish, 4 bearish.
- AMD’s TA Score: 2 bullish, 3 bearish.
- KLIC’s TA Score: 3 bullish, 4 bearish.
Price Growth
AMAT (@Electronic Production Equipment) experienced а +0.27% price change this week, while AMD (@Semiconductors) price change was -6.83% , and KLIC (@Electronic Production Equipment) price fluctuated -0.60% 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
AMAT is expected to report earnings on Aug 13, 2026.
AMD is expected to report earnings on Aug 04, 2026.
KLIC 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.
| AMAT | AMD | KLIC | |
| Capitalization | 347B | 692B | 5.34B |
| EBITDA | 10.2B | 8.09B | 87.7M |
| Gain YTD | 70.110 | 98.030 | 124.669 |
| P/E Ratio | 41.07 | 141.37 | 98.68 |
| Revenue | 28.2B | 37.5B | 768M |
| Total Cash | 8.51B | 12.3B | 488M |
| Total Debt | 7.19B | 3.87B | 39.8M |
AMAT | AMD | KLIC | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
OUTLOOK RATING 1..100 | 19 | 84 | 22 | |
VALUATION overvalued / fair valued / undervalued 1..100 | 72 Overvalued | 83 Overvalued | 68 Overvalued | |
PROFIT vs RISK RATING 1..100 | 17 | 16 | 39 | |
SMR RATING 1..100 | 24 | 77 | 81 | |
PRICE GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 5 | 2 | 35 | |
P/E GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 12 | 14 | 42 | |
SEASONALITY SCORE 1..100 | 50 | 90 | 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.
KLIC's Valuation (68) in the Electronic Production Equipment industry is in the same range as AMAT (72) in the Electronic Production Equipment industry, and is in the same range as AMD (83) in the Semiconductors industry. This means that KLIC's stock grew similarly to AMAT’s and similarly to AMD’s over the last 12 months.
AMD's Profit vs Risk Rating (16) in the Semiconductors industry is in the same range as AMAT (17) in the Electronic Production Equipment industry, and is in the same range as KLIC (39) in the Electronic Production Equipment industry. This means that AMD's stock grew similarly to AMAT’s and similarly to KLIC’s over the last 12 months.
AMAT's SMR Rating (24) in the Electronic Production Equipment industry is somewhat better than the same rating for AMD (77) in the Semiconductors industry, and is somewhat better than the same rating for KLIC (81) in the Electronic Production Equipment industry. This means that AMAT's stock grew somewhat faster than AMD’s and somewhat faster than KLIC’s over the last 12 months.
AMD's Price Growth Rating (2) in the Semiconductors industry is in the same range as AMAT (5) in the Electronic Production Equipment industry, and is somewhat better than the same rating for KLIC (35) in the Electronic Production Equipment industry. This means that AMD's stock grew similarly to AMAT’s and somewhat faster than KLIC’s over the last 12 months.
AMAT's P/E Growth Rating (12) in the Electronic Production Equipment industry is in the same range as AMD (14) in the Semiconductors industry, and is in the same range as KLIC (42) in the Electronic Production Equipment industry. This means that AMAT's stock grew similarly to AMD’s and similarly to KLIC’s over the last 12 months.
| AMAT | AMD | KLIC | |
|---|---|---|---|
| RSI ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 67% | 2 days ago 67% | 2 days ago 73% |
| Stochastic ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 69% | N/A | 2 days ago 73% |
| Momentum ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 73% | N/A | N/A |
| MACD ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 75% | N/A | N/A |
| TrendWeek ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 75% | 2 days ago 78% | 2 days ago 76% |
| TrendMonth ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 76% | 2 days ago 77% | 2 days ago 69% |
| Advances ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 75% | 6 days ago 78% | 6 days ago 67% |
| Declines ODDS (%) | 19 days ago 65% | 4 days ago 75% | 2 days ago 74% |
| BollingerBands ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 67% | 2 days ago 65% | 2 days ago 72% |
| Aroon ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 75% | 2 days ago 78% | 2 days ago 65% |
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AMAT and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, AMAT has been closely correlated with LRCX. These tickers have moved in lockstep 86% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is a high statistical probability that if AMAT jumps, then LRCX could also see price increases.
| Ticker / NAME | Correlation To AMAT | 1D Price Change % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMAT | 100% | -0.89% | ||
| LRCX - AMAT | 86% Closely correlated | -4.82% | ||
| KLAC - AMAT | 84% Closely correlated | -4.68% | ||
| ASML - AMAT | 76% Closely correlated | -5.22% | ||
| QCOM - AMAT | 75% Closely correlated | +0.70% | ||
| RMBS - AMAT | 75% Closely correlated | -2.70% | ||
More | ||||
KLIC and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, KLIC has been closely correlated with POWI. These tickers have moved in lockstep 81% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is a high statistical probability that if KLIC jumps, then POWI could also see price increases.
| Ticker / NAME | Correlation To KLIC | 1D Price Change % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KLIC | 100% | -1.97% | ||
| POWI - KLIC | 81% Closely correlated | +2.19% | ||
| NXPI - KLIC | 79% Closely correlated | -0.91% | ||
| DIOD - KLIC | 78% Closely correlated | -3.48% | ||
| RMBS - KLIC | 78% Closely correlated | -2.70% | ||
| ADI - KLIC | 77% Closely correlated | -2.18% | ||
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