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AMAT or KLAC or LRCX
Which Stock Would AI Choose? Applied Materials (AMAT) vs. KLA Corporation (KLAC) vs. Lam Research (LRCX) Stock Comparison
Key Takeaways
- All three stocks—AMAT, KLAC, and LRCX—have delivered strong year-to-date gains exceeding 50%, fueled by AI-driven demand for semiconductor equipment.
- LRCX leads with over 285% one-year returns, outpacing AMAT (around 165%) and KLAC (around 168%), reflecting robust earnings beats.
- Recent market activity shows volatility across the sector, with shares pulling back amid U.S. export restrictions to China, yet analyst targets remain elevated due to AI catalysts.
- AMAT trades at the lowest P/E ratio (around 44x), suggesting relative value compared to KLAC (53x) and LRCX (56x).
- Tickeron AI bots trading these tickers show annualized returns up to 96% with win rates over 63%, highlighting sector momentum.
- Each company reported recent earnings beats, with LRCX at $5.84B revenue (up 24% YoY) and KLAC announcing a 10-for-1 stock split.
Introduction
Applied Materials (AMAT), KLA Corporation (KLAC), and Lam Research (LRCX) are leading providers of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, essential for producing advanced chips powering AI, data centers, and high-performance computing. This comparison analyzes their recent performance, business models, and market positioning amid surging demand for AI infrastructure. Traders seeking short-term momentum and investors eyeing long-term growth in the semiconductor equipment sector—projected to exceed $140 billion in wafer fabrication equipment spending—will find value in understanding their relative strengths, risks from geopolitical tensions, and valuation contrasts.
AMAT Overview and Recent Performance
Applied Materials (AMAT) is a global leader in materials engineering solutions, providing equipment, services, and software for semiconductor, display, and related industries. Its Semiconductor Systems segment focuses on deposition, etch, and metrology tools critical for chip fabrication. In recent market activity, AMAT shares have surged around 70% year-to-date and over 165% in the past year, trading near $435 with a market cap exceeding $345 billion. Performance reflects strong Q1 revenue of $7.01 billion (beating estimates) and upbeat Q2 guidance of $7.65 billion, driven by AI-related DRAM demand up 34%. Sentiment has been buoyed by analyst upgrades and price targets up to $517, though tempered by U.S. export curbs on China sales, impacting around $400 million in fiscal 2025 revenue. Broader AI chip spending and diversified end-markets support a trailing P/E of about 44x.
KLAC Overview and Recent Performance
KLA Corporation (KLAC) specializes in process control and yield management solutions, including metrology and inspection systems for semiconductor manufacturing. Operating through segments like Semiconductor Process Control, it enables precise wafer inspection vital for advanced nodes. Recent weeks have seen KLAC shares rise over 54% year-to-date and 168% annually, closing around $1,869 with a $244 billion market cap. Key drivers include Q3 fiscal 2026 revenue of $3.42 billion (beating expectations), EPS of $9.40, and Q4 guidance of $3.575 billion, alongside a 10-for-1 stock split and $7 billion buyback. AI demand for process control has boosted sentiment, with high gross margins near 61% and ROE over 100%, though sector volatility from trade restrictions adds caution. Trailing P/E stands at approximately 53x.
LRCX Overview and Recent Performance
Lam Research (LRCX) designs and services wafer fabrication equipment for etch, deposition, and clean processes in integrated circuit production. Its focus on logic, memory, and advanced packaging supports AI and NAND/DRAM cycles. Shares have climbed about 72% year-to-date and over 285% in the past year, trading near $294 with a $368 billion market cap. Recent performance stems from Q3 fiscal 2026 record revenue of $5.84 billion (up 24% YoY), EPS of $1.47 (beating estimates), and strong systems revenue amid AI high-bandwidth memory demand. Analyst targets have risen to $330+, reflecting confidence despite China exposure risks and export limits. Profit margins around 31% and ROE over 66% underpin a trailing P/E of roughly 56x.
Trending AI Robots
Tickeron’s Trending AI Robots page showcases the platform's top-performing AI trading bots, curated from hundreds of bots that trade thousands of tickers across diverse strategies, timeframes, and market conditions. Only the most suitable for current volatility—demonstrating strong backtested and forward-tested results—earn a spot in this dynamic section. Stats for top bots include annualized returns from +72% to +285%, win rates of 60-88%, profit factors up to 7.12, and profit-to-drawdown ratios exceeding 14, with average durations from hours to weeks. Several target semiconductors like LRCX, TER, AMAT, KLAC, and others, using AI/ML trend analysis and take-profit/stop-loss corridors. Explore these bots to align automated strategies with your risk profile and market outlook.
Head-to-Head Comparison
AMAT, KLAC, and LRCX share heavy sector exposure to semiconductors, with AI as a core growth driver, but differ in focus: AMAT offers broad materials engineering (deposition/etch), KLAC excels in metrology/inspection for yield optimization, and LRCX dominates etch/deposition for advanced nodes. Recent momentum favors LRCX with superior one-year gains, while AMAT shows relative stability via services revenue. Valuation sensitivity is lowest for AMAT at ~44x P/E versus 53x for KLAC and 56x for LRCX; all trade below historical peaks amid trade risks. Risk factors include cyclicality and China reliance (20-35% revenue), with KLAC least exposed. Market sentiment tilts toward KLAC's high margins (61%) and buybacks, balancing LRCX's revenue growth.
Tickeron AI Verdict
Tickeron’s AI currently favors KLAC due to its superior profitability (61% gross margins), consistent trend strength in process control amid AI complexity, and recent catalysts like the stock split and buyback, positioning it resiliently relative to peers. Observable factors include lower beta volatility, high ROE exceeding 100%, and bots trading KLAC with 96% annualized returns. While LRCX shows stronger momentum and AMAT better value, KLAC offers the highest probability of outperformance in the near term based on stability and catalysts.
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 whileKLAC’s FA Score has 4 green FA rating(s), and LRCX’s FA Score reflects 4 green FA rating(s).
- AMAT’s FA Score: 4 green, 1 red.
- KLAC’s FA Score: 4 green, 1 red.
- LRCX’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.
AMAT’s TA Score shows that 4 TA indicator(s) are bullish while KLAC’s TA Score has 3 bullish TA indicator(s), and LRCX’s TA Score reflects 4 bullish TA indicator(s).
- AMAT’s TA Score: 4 bullish, 3 bearish.
- KLAC’s TA Score: 3 bullish, 4 bearish.
- LRCX’s TA Score: 4 bullish, 4 bearish.
Price Growth
AMAT (@Electronic Production Equipment) experienced а +3.11% price change this week, while KLAC (@Electronic Production Equipment) price change was +3.02% , and LRCX (@Electronic Production Equipment) price fluctuated +0.61% for the same time period.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Electronic Production Equipment industry was -0.08%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was +8.47%, and the average quarterly price growth was +128.49%.
Reported Earning Dates
AMAT is expected to report earnings on Aug 13, 2026.
KLAC is expected to report earnings on Jul 23, 2026.
LRCX is expected to report earnings on Aug 05, 2026.
Industries' Descriptions
@Electronic Production Equipment (-0.08% 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.
| AMAT | KLAC | LRCX | |
| Capitalization | 465B | 319B | 464B |
| EBITDA | 11.1B | 6.06B | 8.07B |
| Gain YTD | 128.546 | 106.758 | 117.337 |
| P/E Ratio | 60.22 | 76.23 | 77.42 |
| Revenue | 29B | 13.1B | 21.7B |
| Total Cash | 8.24B | 613M | 1.68B |
| Total Debt | 7.27B | 6.15B | 3.73B |
AMAT | KLAC | LRCX | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
OUTLOOK RATING 1..100 | 43 | 40 | 37 | |
VALUATION overvalued / fair valued / undervalued 1..100 | 78 Overvalued | 91 Overvalued | 89 Overvalued | |
PROFIT vs RISK RATING 1..100 | 7 | 2 | 2 | |
SMR RATING 1..100 | 24 | 13 | 17 | |
PRICE GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 3 | 3 | 2 | |
P/E GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 5 | 7 | 5 | |
SEASONALITY SCORE 1..100 | 50 | 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.
AMAT's Valuation (78) in the Electronic Production Equipment industry is in the same range as LRCX (89) and is in the same range as KLAC (91). This means that AMAT's stock grew similarly to LRCX’s and similarly to KLAC’s over the last 12 months.
LRCX's Profit vs Risk Rating (2) in the Electronic Production Equipment industry is in the same range as KLAC (2) and is in the same range as AMAT (7). This means that LRCX's stock grew similarly to KLAC’s and similarly to AMAT’s over the last 12 months.
KLAC's SMR Rating (13) in the Electronic Production Equipment industry is in the same range as LRCX (17) and is in the same range as AMAT (24). This means that KLAC's stock grew similarly to LRCX’s and similarly to AMAT’s over the last 12 months.
LRCX's Price Growth Rating (2) in the Electronic Production Equipment industry is in the same range as KLAC (3) and is in the same range as AMAT (3). This means that LRCX's stock grew similarly to KLAC’s and similarly to AMAT’s over the last 12 months.
LRCX's P/E Growth Rating (5) in the Electronic Production Equipment industry is in the same range as AMAT (5) and is in the same range as KLAC (7). This means that LRCX's stock grew similarly to AMAT’s and similarly to KLAC’s over the last 12 months.
| AMAT | KLAC | LRCX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| RSI ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 60% | 1 day ago 63% | 1 day ago 55% |
| Stochastic ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 72% | 1 day ago 69% | 1 day ago 62% |
| Momentum ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 78% | N/A | 1 day ago 86% |
| MACD ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 70% | 1 day ago 80% | 1 day ago 75% |
| TrendWeek ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 76% | 1 day ago 61% | 1 day ago 62% |
| TrendMonth ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 77% | 1 day ago 79% | 1 day ago 82% |
| Advances ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 76% | 3 days ago 77% | 3 days ago 82% |
| Declines ODDS (%) | N/A | 27 days ago 61% | 20 days ago 64% |
| BollingerBands ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 65% | 1 day ago 66% | 1 day ago 67% |
| Aroon ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 75% | 1 day ago 77% | 1 day ago 81% |
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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 88% 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% | -8.48% | ||
| LRCX - AMAT | 88% Closely correlated | -9.33% | ||
| KLAC - AMAT | 85% Closely correlated | -9.17% | ||
| NVMI - AMAT | 78% Closely correlated | -9.52% | ||
| ASML - AMAT | 77% Closely correlated | -7.82% | ||
| ONTO - AMAT | 76% Closely correlated | -9.20% | ||
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