KLAC
KLA Corporation
KLAC has lower modeled downside risk, despite its lower overall score.
PLTR
Palantir Technologies Inc.
PLTR has the edge over KLAC overall, supported by stronger valuation and stronger fundamentals.
KLAC Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Strong | |
| Strong | |
| Healthy |
KLAC's revenue, profitability, cash flow and balance sheet are all currently healthy.
PLTR Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Strong | |
| Strong | |
| Strong | |
| Strong |
PLTR's revenue, profitability, cash flow and balance sheet are all currently strong.
KLAC PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 18x | $72.57 | -54% |
| Forward | 25x | $157 | — |
| Fair | 27x | $109 | -31% |
| Expensive | 39x | $156 | -0.9% |
| Current | 39x | $157 | — |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
KLAC's PE is in its expensive range at 39x. If earnings grow as analysts expect, today's price would be 25x next year's earnings, in its fair range.
PLTR PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | 75x | $172 | — |
| Current | 120x | $172 | — |
| Cheap | 165x | $236 | +37% |
| Fair | 251x | $359 | +109% |
| Expensive | 452x | $646 | +277% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
PLTR has the edge over KLAC in the historical PE scenario, which offers more potential upside but is not a forecast.
KLAC Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Strongly improving | |
| Strong growth | |
| Strong growth | |
| Strongly improving | |
| Moderate | |
| Moderate |
Analysts expect strong earnings and revenue growth for KLAC, with profitability improving.
PLTR Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Strongly improving | |
| Strong growth | |
| Strong growth | |
| Strongly improving | |
| Moderate | |
| Moderate |
Analysts expect strong earnings and revenue growth for PLTR, with profitability improving.
KLAC Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $6.22 | +56% |
| Q3 2026 | $3.99 | +25% |
| Q2 2026 | $3.66 | +20% |
| Q1 2026 | $3.53 | +28% |
| Q4 2025 | $3.44 | +45% |
| Q3 2025 | $3.18 | +45% |
| Q2 2025 | $3.04 | +50% |
| Q1 2025 | $2.75 | +44% |
| Q4 2024 | $2.38 | +21% |
KLAC's earnings per share have climbed steadily: $3.99 over the past year, up 25% from the year before, and higher year over year for eight quarters in a row.
PLTR Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $2.30 | +61% |
| Q3 2026 | $1.43 | +240% |
| Q2 2026 | $1.17 | +290% |
| Q1 2026 | $0.89 | +287% |
| Q4 2025 | $0.63 | +232% |
| Q3 2025 | $0.42 | +110% |
| Q2 2025 | $0.30 | +76% |
| Q1 2025 | $0.23 | +92% |
| Q4 2024 | $0.19 | +111% |
PLTR has the edge over KLAC on earnings, with stronger typical year-over-year growth.
KLAC Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $4.1B | +29% |
| Q2 2026 | $3.7B | +15% |
| Q1 2026 | $3.4B | +11% |
| Q4 2025 | $3.3B | +7.2% |
| Q3 2025 | $3.2B | +13% |
| Q2 2025 | $3.2B | +24% |
| Q1 2025 | $3.1B | +30% |
| Q4 2024 | $3.1B | +24% |
KLAC's revenue has grown year over year for 10 quarters in a row: $4.1B last quarter, up 29% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 44% | +3.3 points |
| Q2 2026 | 42% | +0.5 points |
| Q1 2026 | 41% | +0.2 points |
| Q4 2025 | 40% | +8.7 points |
| Q3 2025 | 41% | +2.8 points |
| Q2 2025 | 42% | +5.1 points |
| Q1 2025 | 41% | +12 points |
| Q4 2024 | 32% | +3.8 points |
KLAC's operating margin was 44% last quarter, up 3.3 points from the same quarter a year ago, near the top of its range since 2019.
PLTR Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $2.3B | +96% |
| Q2 2026 | $1.9B | +93% |
| Q1 2026 | $1.6B | +85% |
| Q4 2025 | $1.4B | +70% |
| Q3 2025 | $1.2B | +63% |
| Q2 2025 | $1B | +48% |
| Q1 2025 | $883.9M | +39% |
| Q4 2024 | $827.5M | +36% |
PLTR has the edge over KLAC on sales, with stronger typical year-over-year growth.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 47% | +14 points |
| Q2 2026 | 47% | +20 points |
| Q1 2026 | 46% | +26 points |
| Q4 2025 | 41% | +40 points |
| Q3 2025 | 33% | +18 points |
| Q2 2025 | 27% | +11 points |
| Q1 2025 | 20% | +7.2 points |
| Q4 2024 | 1.3% | -9.5 points |
PLTR has the edge over KLAC on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
KLAC Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $1.3B | +25% |
| Q2 2026 | $817.1M | -23% |
| Q1 2026 | $622.3M | -37% |
| Q4 2025 | $1.3B | +67% |
| Q3 2025 | $1.1B | +14% |
| Q2 2025 | $1.1B | +28% |
| Q1 2025 | $990M | +18% |
| Q4 2024 | $757.2M | +39% |
KLAC's free cash flow has been positive every quarter for seven years: $4B over the past year, up 4.1% from the year before.
PLTR Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $1.2B | +139% |
| Q2 2026 | $1.2B | +126% |
| Q1 2026 | $891.8M | +193% |
| Q4 2025 | $764M | +67% |
| Q3 2025 | $500.9M | +20% |
| Q2 2025 | $531.6M | +276% |
| Q1 2025 | $304.1M | +140% |
| Q4 2024 | $457.2M | +54% |
PLTR has the edge over KLAC on cash flow, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
KLAC Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -0.6% | -8.6M shares |
| 1 year | -1% | -12.7M shares |
| 3 years | -4.4% | -60M shares |
| 5 years | -15% | -223M shares |
| Available history | -17% | -275M shares |
KLAC has the edge over PLTR on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $935.8M |
| Q2 2026 | $571M |
| Q1 2026 | $626M |
| Q4 2025 | $547.8M |
| Q3 2025 | $545.1M |
| Q2 2025 | $425.7M |
| Q1 2025 | $506.7M |
| Q4 2024 | $650.1M |
KLAC spent $2.7B buying back its own shares over the past year, up 26% from the year before.
PLTR Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | +0.2% | +5.2M shares |
| 1 year | +0.1% | +2.9M shares |
| 3 years | +11% | +248M shares |
| 5 years | +31% | +610M shares |
| Available history | +184% | +1.7B shares |
PLTR has 2.6B diluted shares, about the same as a year ago.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q4 2025 | $19.2M |
| Q3 2025 | $19.2M |
| Q2 2025 | $18.6M |
| Q1 2025 | $18M |
| Q4 2024 | $18.6M |
| Q3 2024 | $18.9M |
| Q2 2024 | $17.7M |
| Q1 2024 | $9M |
KLAC Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 0.6x | Very low |
| Q2 2026 | 0.7x | Very low |
| Q1 2026 | 0.7x | Very low |
| Q4 2025 | 0.6x | Very low |
| Q3 2025 | 0.8x | Very low |
| Q2 2025 | 0.8x | Very low |
| Q1 2025 | 0.9x | Very low |
| Q4 2024 | 1.0x | Very low |
KLAC's net debt is less than a year of its operating earnings (EBITDA).
PLTR Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -1.1x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2026 | -0.8x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2026 | -1.1x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2025 | -1.0x | Net Cash |
| Q3 2025 | -1.9x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2025 | -1.6x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2025 | -2.3x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2024 | -6.1x | Net Cash |
PLTR has the edge over KLAC on leverage, with a lower net debt burden relative to earnings.
KLAC Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 44.4 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 21.4 | Neutral |
KLAC's weekly RSI is 44 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 21 (neutral).
PLTR Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 51.4 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 47.4 | Neutral |
PLTR's weekly RSI is 51 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 47 (neutral).
KLAC PE vs Technology Sector
| Metric | KLAC | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 39x | 28x | 41% above |
| PE % | 84 | 35 | 49 pts above |
KLAC has the edge over PLTR on valuation relative to its sector.
PLTR PE vs Technology Sector
| Metric | PLTR | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 120x | 28x | 331% above |
| PE % | 1 | 38 | 37 pts below |
PLTR is trading at 120x earnings, a 331% premium to the Technology sector's median of 28x.
KLAC Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $169.4 | 7.2% below |
| 20 week MA | $186.7 | 16% below |
| 50 week MA | $173.7 | 9.4% below |
| 100 week MA | $129.4 | 22% above |
| 200 week MA | $94.0 | 67% above |
KLAC has pulled back, but its long-term trend is still up: it's below its 8-, 20- and 50-week averages, but 67% above its 200-week average.
PLTR Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $185.8 | 7.6% below |
| 20 week MA | $167.6 | 2.4% above |
| 50 week MA | $157.1 | 9.2% above |
| 100 week MA | $143.8 | 19% above |
| 200 week MA | $83.3 | 106% above |
PLTR has the edge over KLAC on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
KLAC Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $17.9 | $25.9 | +45% |
| 2021 | $25.9 | $42.1 | +62% |
| 2022 | $42.1 | $37.7 | -10% |
| 2023 | $37.7 | $58.1 | +54% |
| 2024 | $58.1 | $64.5 | +11% |
| 2025 | $64.5 | $128.0 | +98% |
| 2026 YTD | $128.0 | $157.3 | +23% |
KLAC has the edge over PLTR on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.
PLTR Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $9.20 | $27.8 | +202% |
| 2021 | $27.8 | $18.9 | -32% |
| 2022 | $18.9 | $6.29 | -67% |
| 2023 | $6.29 | $17.2 | +173% |
| 2024 | $17.2 | $79.1 | +361% |
| 2025 | $79.1 | $188.7 | +139% |
| 2026 YTD | $188.7 | $171.6 | -9.1% |
PLTR's yearly returns have swung widely, from +361% in 2024 to −67% in 2022. It's down 9.1% so far in 2026.