KLA Corporation vs Waters Corporation, two Scientific Instruments stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Where KLAC and WAT diverge most: on return on equity, KLAC reads 76.1% and WAT reads 1.1%; on return on assets, KLAC reads 26.9% and WAT reads 0.7%. The rest of the comparable metrics sit closer together. What KLAC's price implies is a somewhat stretched bet versus history (whole-company basis). The bull and bear cases for each are in their full reports below.
| Metric | KLAC | WAT |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $195.64 | $433.68 |
| Market cap | $257.8B | $42.6B |
| Sector | Scientific Instruments | Scientific Instruments |
| Stage | Mature | Growth |
| P/E | 17.1 | 108.2 |
| P/B | 40.59 | 2.80 |
| P/S | 18.98 | 9.17 |
| EV/EBITDA | 1098.4 | 56.3 |
| Revenue growth | +11.7% | +54.9% |
| Operating margin | — | -5.2% |
| Net margin | 35.6% | 3.6% |
| Return on equity | 76.1% | 1.1% |
| Return on assets | 26.9% | 0.7% |
| Return on invested capital | — | 1.3% |
| FCF yield | 1.5% | 0.9% |
| Dividend yield | 0.4% | — |
| Debt / equity | 0.93 | 0.32 |
| Current ratio | 2.88 | 1.86 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 7.58 | 3.53 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 7 / 9 | 7 / 9 |
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The stronger value is highlighted per metric where one is strictly better on that single number; it is not an overall verdict on either company. For informational and research purposes only. Not investment advice. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. boothcheck is not a registered investment adviser. Past performance does not guarantee future results.