INTC vs KLAC Stock Comparison
KLAC currently leads INTC in this stock comparison, with AIQ scores of 44 vs 30. The clearest difference is quality, while INTC has the stronger momentum profile.
What is the main difference between INTC and KLAC?
KLAC leads the current stock comparison as KLA Corporation, with the clearest separation coming from quality and the broader AIQ evidence mix.
AlgovestIQ AIQ Comparison
Intel Corp. vs KLA Corporation
KLAC leads
KLAC leads by 14 AIQ points, primarily on Quality and Risk Resilience, but the lead has narrowed from 18 points over 30 sessions.
Fragile: 4 of 6 evidence groups support KLAC, its lead is narrowing, and its current signal state is conflicted.
Intel Corp.
KLA Corporation
The Algovestiq AIQ Score currently favors KLAC over INTC, 44 versus 30 as of Oct 21, 2026. KLAC's advantage is driven primarily by stronger quality and risk resilience, while INTC holds the stronger momentum profile. KLAC also shows the weaker technical structure relative to its 50-day moving average. 4 of 6 covered evidence groups favor KLAC today, and the comparison is rated Fragile on stability: the leader's advantage has been narrowing. KLAC lead: Weakening — the AIQ differential moved from 18 to 14 points over 30 sessions.
Compare Intel Corp. and KLA Corporation across the Algovestiq AIQ Score, valuation, quality, momentum, risk, technicals and analyst expectations.
Performance over time
Total return with distributions reinvested, from daily closes.
Total return comparison
Growth of $10,000, distributions reinvested
Split-adjusted closes; each distribution is reinvested at the close on its ex-dividend date. Taxes and trading costs are not modeled.
Compare INTC and KLAC against another ticker
Open a multi-ticker workspace without changing this focused pair page.
AIQ Factor Divergence
Where the two separate, on the four dimensions behind the AIQ Score. Bars read outward from a shared zero: further from the centre is a wider gap.
- Quality39 vs 83KLAC +44
- Risk Resilience29 vs 49KLAC +20
- Momentum21 vs 12INTC +9
- Value30 vs 28Even
4 of 6 evidence groups favor KLAC. KLAC’s edge is concentrated in quality and risk resilience; INTC keeps a meaningful momentum edge.
What changed since the last close
Latest scored session 2026-10-20, compared against the prior scored session 2026-10-19.
No factor moved materially.
No signal started or stopped since the prior session; its 5 active signals are unchanged.
Largest factor move: Momentum -1, not enough on its own to move the overall score.
No signal started or stopped since the prior session; its 6 active signals are unchanged.
KLAC's lead was unchanged in the latest session.
Deeper signal detail for each name lives on its own signals page — INTC and KLAC both carry a full feed there.
The central trade-off
KLAC (KLA Corporation): the stronger current systematic profile, led by quality and risk resilience.
INTC (Intel Corp.): the counter-case, on momentum, technicals — but at materially higher volatility, 46.6% against 38.3%.
Which one fits your objective
The same two names rank differently depending on what you are optimizing for. All six reads are shown at once — none of them is hidden behind a toggle.
Balanced
KLACKLAC on the overall AIQ Score, which weights Quality and Value most heavily.
Growth
KLACKLAC on combined revenue and EPS growth.
Value
EvenThe two are level on Value.
Momentum
INTCINTC on the Momentum factor, by 9 points.
Lower downside
KLACKLAC on Risk Resilience, by 20 points.
Analyst upside
KLACKLAC on implied upside to the consensus price target.
AIQ vs Wall Street
Where the systematic read and the analyst consensus line up — and where they do not.
| Measure | INTC | KLAC | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Implied upside to target | +18.2% | +37.9% | KLAC has more room |
| Target dispersion | +122.9% | +68.8% | Lower is tighter analyst agreement |
| Consensus | Hold | Buy | Context, not a primary driver |
| Analysts covering | 27 | 16 | Higher coverage generally improves confidence |
Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions. Dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.
AIQ Agreement Matrix
4 of 6 covered evidence groups favor KLAC. A wide gap backed by one group is a weaker case than a narrow gap backed by five.
| Evidence group | Favors | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| AIQ Score | KLAC | 30 vs 44 |
| Fundamentals | KLACon balance | revenue growth 18.8% vs 7.1%; EPS growth -195.9% vs 13%; TTM ROE -10.8% vs 85.4%; gross margin 38.9% vs 61.3% — KLAC takes 3 of 4 decided legs, not all of them |
| Valuation | Even | Value 30 vs 28 |
| Technicals | INTC | Price vs 50-day -9.6% vs -12%; vs 200-day 7.8% vs -8.4% |
| Risk Resilience | KLAC | Risk Resilience 29 vs 49 |
| Analyst expectations | KLAC | Target upside 18.2% vs 37.9% |
✓ agrees with the overall verdict · ✕ points the other way. Groups marked “not covered” lack data on one or both of INTC and KLAC and are excluded from the count.
AIQ Decision Stability
The conclusion is sensitive to small changes. Treat the lead as provisional and watch the flip conditions below.
- The AIQ gap is wide at 14 points. (supports the conclusion holding)
- The leader's advantage has been narrowing. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
- The leader is throwing conflicting signals. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
- Analyst targets on the leader are widely dispersed. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
Stability combines the score gap, how broadly the evidence agrees, how steady the lead has been across daily snapshots, the current signal state on both names, and analyst dispersion on KLAC.
How the comparison changed
120 daily snapshots · Jun 21 – Oct 20KLAC lead: Weakening — the AIQ differential moved from 18 to 14 points over 30 sessions.
- Today
- KLAC +14
- 30 vs 44
- 7 sessions ago
- KLAC +17
- 30 vs 47
- 30 sessions ago
- KLAC +18
- 43 vs 61
- 90 sessions ago
- KLAC +14
- 42 vs 56
The lead has not changed hands in this window.
AIQ Signal Divergence
Only the signals that bear on the head-to-head. A conflicted name is carrying bullish and bearish rules at the same time — the technical evidence is not pointing one way.
2 bullish / 2 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted
No signal that the other name lacks.
3 bullish / 2 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted
Only KLAC
- BB Lower Band Breach — bullish, volatility, short horizon
Both carry 5 more signals that do not separate them: Golden Cross Active, ATR Expansion - Breakout Mode, Keltner Channel Breakdown, RSI Oversold - Potential Bounce, MACD Bearish Crossover.
KLAC leads the comparison while carrying a conflicted signal state, which is one reason the stability rating is not higher.
Price vs model alignment
Whether the latest session's price move confirms what the model did over the same session, or contradicts it.
Neither the price nor the AIQ Score moved enough in the latest session to confirm or contradict the other (price +1.39%, AIQ 0 points).
Neither the price nor the AIQ Score moved enough in the latest session to confirm or contradict the other (price +1.04%, AIQ 0 points).
What would flip this result
A state, not a forecast. These are the specific, observable changes that would reverse the verdict — not a price prediction.
- 1INTC closes the Quality gap — currently 44 points behind, the largest single contributor to KLAC's edge.
- 2INTC's Keltner Channel Breakdown resolves — a bearish volatility rule currently active against it.
- 3KLAC's conflicting signal state resolves bearish — it currently carries 3 bullish and 2 bearish rules at once.
- 4The narrowing continues — the lead has already given back 4 points over 30 sessions, and a further 14-point move would eliminate KLAC's advantage entirely.
The full evidence
Every number behind the verdict. The leader is called above each group so you are not left to solve it from the table.
Fundamentals
KLAC leads on balance| Metric | INTC | KLAC |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth (YoY) | 18.8% | 7.1% |
| EPS growth (YoY) | -195.9% | 13% |
| Gross margin | 38.9% | 61.3% |
| Operating margin | 0.1% | 41.7% |
| Return on equity (TTM) | -10.8% | 85.4% |
| Debt to equity | 0.58 | 0.97 |
Performance
INTC leads 5 of 6 windows| Metric | INTC | KLAC |
|---|---|---|
| 1 week (5 sessions) | -10.8% | -12.1% |
| 1 month (20 sessions) | -26% | -14.1% |
| 3 months (63 sessions) | -10.7% | -24.7% |
| 6 months (126 sessions) | 38.4% | -7.5% |
| Year to date | 148.5% | 33.1% |
| 1 year (252 sessions) | 148.9% | 50.6% |
Technicals
INTC has the stronger structure| Metric | INTC | KLAC |
|---|---|---|
| RSI (14) | 16.4 | 21.6 |
| ADX (14) | 23.3 | 19.1 |
| Price vs 50-day | -9.6% | -12% |
| Price vs 200-day | 7.8% | -8.4% |
| Volatility (1M, annualized) | 46.6% | 38.3% |
Risk
KLAC is the more resilient| Metric | INTC | KLAC |
|---|---|---|
| Beta | 3.08 | 2.74 |
| Sharpe ratio | 1.5 | 0.87 |
| Sortino ratio | 2.73 | 1.22 |
| Max drawdown | -41.9% | -46.4% |
| Current drawdown | -34.9% | -46.4% |
| Annualized volatility | 77.8% | 60.2% |
| Value at risk (95%) | -6.2% | -5.8% |
Straight answers
Each answer is regenerated from the current snapshot, not written once and left to age.
Which is better, INTC or KLAC?
On the Algovestiq AIQ Score, KLAC is the stronger of the two as of Oct 21, 2026, scoring 44 against INTC's 30. The edge comes from quality and risk resilience. INTC is not without a case — it holds the better momentum profile, which matters more if that is the objective you are optimizing for. This is a systematic score, not a recommendation: it ranks the two on the same evidence, it does not know your holding period or tax position.
Is INTC or KLAC the better buy right now?
KLAC carries the stronger systematic profile as of Oct 21, 2026, and the comparison is rated Fragile — 4 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. A Fragile rating means the conclusion is sensitive: the leader's advantage has been narrowing. Treat the lead as provisional.
Why does the AIQ Score favor KLAC over INTC?
The composite weights Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk Resilience. KLAC leads Quality by 44 points; KLAC leads Risk Resilience by 20 points; INTC leads Momentum by 9 points. Where the two split, the factor with the larger weight carries the result.
Which has more analyst upside, INTC or KLAC?
Analyst price targets imply +18.2% upside for INTC and +37.9% for KLAC, so the Street currently favors KLAC. The model and the Street agree here, which is a broader base of evidence than either alone. Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions, and dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.
Which is better value, INTC or KLAC?
Neither name separates on the peer-relative Value factor. The two are level on Value. The Value factor reads valuation relative to sector peers and to the company's own fundamental quality, so it is not the same as simply having the lower multiple.
Which has stronger growth, INTC or KLAC?
KLAC on combined revenue and EPS growth. Growth here is measured on reported revenue and earnings, not on forward estimates — it describes what the businesses have delivered, not what the Street expects next.
Which has stronger momentum, INTC or KLAC?
INTC on the Momentum factor, by 9 points. Momentum is one of the four weighted factors in the AIQ composite. It has documented persistence over three- to twelve-month horizons, which makes it a timing input rather than a reason to hold something indefinitely.
Which is riskier, INTC or KLAC?
KLAC is the more resilient of the two, so the other name carries the higher downside risk. KLAC on Risk Resilience, by 20 points. Risk Resilience is a weighted factor in the composite; position sizing usually responds to it more usefully than the buy/avoid decision does.
Is INTC more profitable than KLAC?
KLAC leads on the comparable margin measures — gross margin 38.9% vs 61.3%; operating margin 0.1% vs 41.7%; ttm roe -10.8% vs 85.4%.
Is KLAC's lead over INTC getting stronger or weaker?
KLAC lead: Weakening — the AIQ differential moved from 18 to 14 points over 30 sessions. This is measured from 120 daily comparison snapshots between 2026-06-21 and 2026-10-20. The lead has not changed hands in that window.
What would change the INTC vs KLAC verdict?
The result is a state, not a forecast, so it changes when the underlying evidence changes. Concretely: INTC closes the Quality gap — currently 44 points behind, the largest single contributor to KLAC's edge; INTC's Keltner Channel Breakdown resolves — a bearish volatility rule currently active against it; KLAC's conflicting signal state resolves bearish — it currently carries 3 bullish and 2 bearish rules at once; the narrowing continues — the lead has already given back 4 points over 30 sessions, and a further 14-point move would eliminate KLAC's advantage entirely.
What do the current signals say about INTC and KLAC?
INTC: 2 bullish / 2 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted. KLAC: 3 bullish / 2 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted. A conflicted state means bullish and bearish rules are active on the same name at once — the technical evidence is not pointing one way, and a decision taken on it carries more timing risk. The most decision-relevant rule on INTC is Golden Cross Active (bullish, long horizon). On KLAC it is Golden Cross Active (bullish, long horizon).
Compare INTC and KLAC with others
Continue your research
This page answers which of the two. These answer the questions on either side of it.
How this comparison is scored
The Algovestiq AIQ Score composites four factors — Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk, each carrying a fixed weight. Sentiment is reported separately as SentimentPulse and is not folded into the composite. Scores refresh every trading day, and this page regenerates from the latest snapshot rather than being written once.
The verdict names a leader, states how broadly six independent evidence groups agree, and rates how durable that conclusion is given the score gap, its recent trajectory and the current signal state on both names.
How to use side-by-side comparison →This comparison is informational and educational, not investment advice. AIQ scores update daily; re-check after earnings, guidance or macro data that materially changes either name’s factor profile.