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KLAC or LRCX or NVDA
Which Stock Would AI Choose? KLA Corporation (KLAC) vs. Lam Research Corporation (LRCX) vs. NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA) Stock Comparison
Key Takeaways
- KLA Corporation (KLAC) leads YTD performance at ~43%, outperforming LRCX (~61%) and NVDA (~5%), driven by strong Q3 earnings and AI process control demand.
- LRCX shows robust momentum with recent surges post-earnings, benefiting from etch/deposition leadership in AI chip fabs, though exposed to China risks.
- NVDA maintains AI dominance but lags peers YTD amid valuation concerns, with record FY2026 revenue of $216B underscoring data center strength.
- All three trade at premium P/E ratios (~49x KLAC, ~52x LRCX, ~41x NVDA), reflecting growth in semiconductor wafer fabrication equipment (WFE) projected over $140B in 2026.
- Recent sentiment shifts favor equipment makers like KLAC and LRCX on fab expansions, while NVDA eyes Blackwell ramps amid competition.
Introduction
KLA Corporation (KLAC), Lam Research Corporation (LRCX), and NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA) represent pivotal players in the semiconductor ecosystem, fueling AI infrastructure growth. KLAC and LRCX provide essential process control and deposition/etch equipment for advanced chip manufacturing, while NVDA dominates GPU design for AI training and inference. This stock comparison analyzes their relative performance, business models, and market positioning amid surging wafer fabrication equipment (WFE) demand projected to exceed $140 billion in 2026. Traders seeking momentum in semis and investors eyeing AI supply chain exposure will find these insights on recent trends, valuations, and sentiment shifts valuable for portfolio decisions.
KLAC Overview and Recent Performance
KLA Corporation (KLAC) specializes in process control and yield management solutions for semiconductor manufacturing, holding a near-monopoly in inspection tools critical for advanced nodes and AI packaging. In recent market activity, KLAC shares have demonstrated resilience, posting YTD gains around 43% and one-year returns exceeding 150%, significantly outpacing the S&P 500. Q3 FY2026 results highlighted record revenue of $3.42 billion, up 11% year-over-year, with non-GAAP EPS of $9.40 beating estimates; guidance for high-teens full-year growth reflects accelerating advanced packaging demand to ~$1B in calendar 2026. Sentiment has been buoyed by share buybacks, raised WFE outlook, and AI fab expansions, though tempered by U.S. export curbs to China and elevated P/E near 49x (market cap ~$226B).
LRCX Overview and Recent Performance
Lam Research Corporation (LRCX) leads in etch, deposition, and clean processes essential for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and logic chips powering AI. Recent weeks have seen LRCX surge over 10% in five days post-Q1 strength, with YTD returns near 61% and one-year gains over 275%, reflecting robust momentum amid sector rallies. Trailing revenue hit $21.7B with 31% margins; the company raised its 2026 WFE view to $140B, signaling AI-driven fab upgrades. Positive analyst upgrades and breakout above key moving averages have fueled sentiment, despite China exposure risks and a premium P/E around 52x (market cap ~$345B).
NVDA Overview and Recent Performance
NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA) pioneers GPUs for AI data centers, gaming, and autonomous systems, commanding the accelerator market. While recent market activity shows consolidation with YTD gains of ~5% and one-year returns ~73%, NVDA achieved FY2026 revenue of $216B, up 65%, driven by data center dominance. Shares traded in a $112-$217 range over 52 weeks, influenced by hyperscaler capex, Blackwell platform anticipation, and competition concerns. Sentiment remains strong on AI leadership, tempered by high beta (2.24) and P/E ~41x (market cap ~$4.8T), with recent dips offering relative value in the chip space.
Trending AI Robots
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Head-to-Head Comparison
KLAC and LRCX focus on backend equipment (inspection/etch), thriving on WFE cycles with lower cyclicality than NVDA's fabless design model, which captures upstream AI demand but faces GPU competition. Growth drivers diverge: KLAC/LRCX ride advanced packaging/HBM ramps (20%+ process control growth), while NVDA leverages sovereign AI and Blackwell. Recent momentum favors equipment peers amid fab buildouts, but NVDA offers scale ($216B revenue vs. $13-22B). Risks include China bans hitting LRCX hardest, valuation sensitivity (all >40x P/E), and capex slowdowns; sentiment tilts to stable equipment plays over NVDA's volatility.
Tickeron AI Verdict
Tickeron’s AI currently favors LRCX for its trend consistency in recent surges, superior YTD momentum, and positioning in AI etch/deposition amid $140B+ WFE outlook. While KLAC provides inspection stability and NVDA unmatched catalysts, LRCX's relative strength and semis bot performance suggest higher near-term outperformance probability, contingent on sustained fab investments.
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).
KLAC’s FA Score shows that 4 FA rating(s) are green whileLRCX’s FA Score has 4 green FA rating(s), and NVDA’s FA Score reflects 3 green FA rating(s).
- KLAC’s FA Score: 4 green, 1 red.
- LRCX’s FA Score: 4 green, 1 red.
- NVDA’s FA Score: 3 green, 2 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 3 TA indicator(s) are bullish while LRCX’s TA Score has 6 bullish TA indicator(s), and NVDA’s TA Score reflects 6 bullish TA indicator(s).
- KLAC’s TA Score: 3 bullish, 5 bearish.
- LRCX’s TA Score: 6 bullish, 4 bearish.
- NVDA’s TA Score: 6 bullish, 4 bearish.
Price Growth
KLAC (@Electronic Production Equipment) experienced а +7.70% price change this week, while LRCX (@Electronic Production Equipment) price change was +14.50% , and NVDA (@Semiconductors) price fluctuated +10.56% for the same time period.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Electronic Production Equipment industry was +6.17%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was +29.19%, and the average quarterly price growth was +138.13%.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Semiconductors industry was +8.41%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was +47.14%, and the average quarterly price growth was +78.48%.
Reported Earning Dates
KLAC is expected to report earnings on Jul 23, 2026.
LRCX is expected to report earnings on Aug 05, 2026.
NVDA is expected to report earnings on May 20, 2026.
Industries' Descriptions
@Electronic Production Equipment (+6.17% 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 (+8.41% 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.
| KLAC | LRCX | NVDA | |
| Capitalization | 241B | 370B | 5.33T |
| EBITDA | 6.06B | 8.07B | 145B |
| Gain YTD | 52.055 | 73.154 | 17.669 |
| P/E Ratio | 52.26 | 55.96 | 44.78 |
| Revenue | 13.1B | 21.7B | 216B |
| Total Cash | 4.96B | 4.75B | 62.6B |
| Total Debt | 6.15B | 3.73B | 11B |
KLAC | LRCX | NVDA | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
OUTLOOK RATING 1..100 | 73 | 76 | 83 | |
VALUATION overvalued / fair valued / undervalued 1..100 | 84 Overvalued | 83 Overvalued | 81 Overvalued | |
PROFIT vs RISK RATING 1..100 | 6 | 4 | 8 | |
SMR RATING 1..100 | 14 | 17 | 13 | |
PRICE GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 9 | 4 | 16 | |
P/E GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 11 | 7 | 42 | |
SEASONALITY SCORE 1..100 | 90 | 90 | 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 (81) in the Semiconductors industry is in the same range as LRCX (83) in the Electronic Production Equipment industry, and is in the same range as KLAC (84) in the Electronic Production Equipment industry. This means that NVDA's stock grew similarly to LRCX’s and similarly to KLAC’s over the last 12 months.
LRCX's Profit vs Risk Rating (4) in the Electronic Production Equipment industry is in the same range as KLAC (6) in the Electronic Production Equipment industry, and is in the same range as NVDA (8) in the Semiconductors industry. This means that LRCX's stock grew similarly to KLAC’s and similarly to NVDA’s over the last 12 months.
NVDA's SMR Rating (13) in the Semiconductors industry is in the same range as KLAC (14) in the Electronic Production Equipment industry, and is in the same range as LRCX (17) in the Electronic Production Equipment industry. This means that NVDA's stock grew similarly to KLAC’s and similarly to LRCX’s over the last 12 months.
LRCX's Price Growth Rating (4) in the Electronic Production Equipment industry is in the same range as KLAC (9) in the Electronic Production Equipment industry, and is in the same range as NVDA (16) in the Semiconductors industry. This means that LRCX's stock grew similarly to KLAC’s and similarly to NVDA’s over the last 12 months.
LRCX's P/E Growth Rating (7) in the Electronic Production Equipment industry is in the same range as KLAC (11) in the Electronic Production Equipment industry, and is somewhat better than the same rating for NVDA (42) in the Semiconductors industry. This means that LRCX's stock grew similarly to KLAC’s and somewhat faster than NVDA’s over the last 12 months.
| KLAC | LRCX | NVDA | |
|---|---|---|---|
| RSI ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 70% | 2 days ago 55% | 2 days ago 52% |
| Stochastic ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 78% | 2 days ago 64% | 2 days ago 68% |
| Momentum ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 72% | 2 days ago 76% | 2 days ago 78% |
| MACD ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 63% | 2 days ago 79% | 2 days ago 81% |
| TrendWeek ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 74% | 2 days ago 80% | 2 days ago 81% |
| TrendMonth ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 77% | 2 days ago 80% | 2 days ago 78% |
| Advances ODDS (%) | 7 days ago 74% | 2 days ago 81% | 2 days ago 82% |
| Declines ODDS (%) | 9 days ago 61% | 14 days ago 65% | 12 days ago 67% |
| BollingerBands ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 76% | 2 days ago 72% | 2 days ago 64% |
| Aroon ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 80% | 2 days ago 80% | 2 days ago 85% |
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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 85% 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% | -1.28% | ||
| LRCX - KLAC | 85% Closely correlated | +0.68% | ||
| AMAT - KLAC | 84% Closely correlated | +1.88% | ||
| ADI - KLAC | 79% Closely correlated | +1.49% | ||
| QCOM - KLAC | 77% Closely correlated | +8.42% | ||
| NVMI - KLAC | 77% Closely correlated | +0.94% | ||
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