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 80.1% and WAT reads 3.0%; on return on assets, KLAC reads 27.7% and WAT reads 1.8%. The rest of the comparable metrics sit closer together. What KLAC's price implies is a bet that sits within the historical range (whole-company basis). What WAT's price implies is a demanding bet versus history and the cohort (whole-company basis). The bull and bear cases for each are in their full reports below.
| Metric | KLAC | WAT |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $231.50 | $376.42 |
| Market cap | $30.5B | $30.9B |
| Sector | Scientific Instruments | Scientific Instruments |
| Stage | Growth | Growth |
| P/E | 6.6 | 47.6 |
| P/B | 5.23 | 2.02 |
| P/S | 2.33 | 8.14 |
| EV/EBITDA | 356.6 | 54.9 |
| Revenue growth | +13.8% | +28.6% |
| Operating margin | — | -3.7% |
| Net margin | 35.7% | 11.9% |
| Return on equity | 80.1% | 3.0% |
| Return on assets | 27.7% | 1.8% |
| Return on invested capital | — | 2.4% |
| FCF yield | 13.2% | 1.1% |
| Dividend yield | 2.9% | — |
| Debt / equity | 1.01 | 0.32 |
| Current ratio | 3.03 | 1.79 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 3.24 | 2.84 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 7 / 9 | 3 / 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.