Which is better, FOUR or KLAC?

On the Buffett-Fit framework, KLA Corporation (KLAC) currently grades higher than FOUR — 74/100 (B grade) vs 51/100 (C). That said, "better" depends on which framework you trust — FOUR wins on Peter Lynch; KLAC wins on Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham, Philip Fisher, Joel Greenblatt, Charlie Munger, and Terry Smith. The full pillar breakdown is on this page.

Should I buy FOUR or KLAC?

This page is an educational comparison, not investment advice. Both FOUR and KLAC are graded against the same Buffett 5-pillar framework (moat, earnings durability, management quality, financial health, valuation) plus six other documented investor frameworks. Read the side-by-side breakdown to see which one matches the criteria you care about most — and always do your own research before making any investment decision.

Is FOUR better than KLAC for value investing?

On the Buffett-style value-investing framework, KLAC currently grades higher — 74/100 vs 51/100, a 23-point gap. The gap is driven by which pillars each stock passes; the table on this page shows moat, durability, management, financial health, and valuation side-by-side.

What's the difference between FOUR and KLAC on Warren Buffett's framework?

Both stocks are evaluated on the same five pillars: economic moat (durable competitive advantage), earnings durability (consistent profitability), management quality (capital allocation), financial health (conservative balance sheet), and valuation (margin of safety). FOUR currently scores 51/100 (C grade); KLAC scores 74/100 (B grade). The "Where each wins" section on this page breaks down which pillar each stock dominates.

Which has the stronger moat, FOUR or KLAC?

Moat strength is one of the five pillars in the Buffett-Fit score on this page. FOUR and KLAC are each scored on ROIC sustainability, gross-margin durability, and qualitative signals like brand strength, switching costs, network effects, and regulatory barriers. The pillar breakdown on this page shows the moat sub-score side-by-side so you can see which one has the more durable competitive advantage.

Which is more undervalued, FOUR or KLAC?

Valuation is one of the five Buffett-Fit pillars on this page. Both stocks are scored on owner-earnings yield, price-to-intrinsic-value vs the underlying compounding rate, and the margin of safety relative to a conservative DCF. The valuation sub-score in the table below tells you which one currently trades at a more attractive price relative to its underlying business quality.

Are FOUR and KLAC both Technology stocks?

Yes — both Shift4 Payments, Inc. (FOUR) and KLA Corporation (KLAC) operate in the Technology sector. That makes this a direct sector-peer comparison, which is the apples-to-apples way to use the Buffett-Fit framework: the score weighs each stock against its sector's specific quality and valuation benchmarks (sector-relative bonus), so the cross-stock comparison isn't distorted by inter-sector base-rate differences.

Is this FOUR vs KLAC comparison investment advice?

No. This page is an educational pattern-match against documented public frameworks (Buffett, Graham, Fisher, Lynch, Greenblatt, Munger, Smith), not personalised investment advice. The scores reflect how closely each stock matches each framework's documented criteria — they are not buy/hold/sell recommendations. Always do your own research and consult a licensed financial adviser for personalised advice.

Stock comparison

Shift4 Payments

KLA

Scored across Buffett, Graham, Lynch and Greenblatt - plus a side-by-side metric table covering valuation, quality, growth and balance sheet.

FOUR

Shift4 Payments

Market cap

$3.83B

Sector

Technology

KLAC

KLA

Market cap

$235.69B

Sector

Technology

Overall winner

KLA KLAC

Wins on the combined sum of fit scores across all four strategies. Per-strategy breakdown below.

Fit scores by strategy

Strategy	FOUR	KLAC	Winner
Warren Buffett	51C	74B	KLAC
Benjamin Graham	51C	86A	KLAC
Philip Fisher	50C	82A	KLAC
Peter Lynch	78B	69B	FOUR
Joel Greenblatt	33F	70B	KLAC
Charlie Munger	43D	85A	KLAC
Terry Smith	42D	86A	KLAC

Side-by-side metrics

Metric	FOUR	KLAC
Market cap	$3.83B	$235.69B
P/E (TTM)	30.3x	50.6x
EV/EBIT	22.6x	45.8x
ROIC (TTM)	4.31%	36.29%
Gross margin	35.11%	61.75%
Net margin	2.29%	35.66%
Revenue CAGR 5y	32.22%	15.13%
EPS CAGR 5y	-	22.65%
Debt / Equity	2.8x	1.1x
Dividend yield	0.0%	0.42%

Where each one wins

The metrics with the biggest gap between the two - sorted so the most decisive edges read first.

FOUR leads on

Revenue CAGR 5y32.22%vs 15.13%+53%
EV/EBIT22.6xvs 45.8x+51%
P/E (TTM)30.3xvs 50.6x+40%

KLAC leads on

Dividend yield0.42%vs 0.0%+100%
Market cap$235.69Bvs $3.83B+98%
Net margin35.66%vs 2.29%+94%
ROIC (TTM)36.29%vs 4.31%+88%

More like FOUR

FOUR vs FICO FOUR vs FTNT FOUR vs CDNS FOUR vs NP FOUR vs 6920.T FOUR vs APP

More like KLAC

KLAC vs FICO KLAC vs FTNT KLAC vs CDNS KLAC vs NP KLAC vs 6920.T KLAC vs APP

Read the full Buffett-Brain analysis for FOUR Read the full Buffett-Brain analysis for KLAC

Related on invest-like

Strongest Moat Highest ROIC Warren Buffett strategy Economic Moat

Key terms in this analysis

ROIC Free Cash Flow (FCF)Economic Moat P/E Ratio Margin of Safety Quality Score

Educational tool. Fit scores are deterministic projections from public financials onto each investor's published criteria - not personal recommendations or advice.

Stock comparison

Shift4 Payments

KLA

Scored across Buffett, Graham, Lynch and Greenblatt - plus a side-by-side metric table covering valuation, quality, growth and balance sheet.

FOUR

Shift4 Payments

Market cap

$3.83B

Sector

Technology

KLAC

KLA

Market cap

$235.69B

Sector

Technology

Overall winner

KLA KLAC

Wins on the combined sum of fit scores across all four strategies. Per-strategy breakdown below.

Fit scores by strategy

Strategy	FOUR	KLAC	Winner
Warren Buffett	51C	74B	KLAC
Benjamin Graham	51C	86A	KLAC
Philip Fisher	50C	82A	KLAC
Peter Lynch	78B	69B	FOUR
Joel Greenblatt	33F	70B	KLAC
Charlie Munger	43D	85A	KLAC
Terry Smith	42D	86A	KLAC

Side-by-side metrics

Metric	FOUR	KLAC
Market cap	$3.83B	$235.69B
P/E (TTM)	30.3x	50.6x
EV/EBIT	22.6x	45.8x
ROIC (TTM)	4.31%	36.29%
Gross margin	35.11%	61.75%
Net margin	2.29%	35.66%
Revenue CAGR 5y	32.22%	15.13%
EPS CAGR 5y	-	22.65%
Debt / Equity	2.8x	1.1x
Dividend yield	0.0%	0.42%

Where each one wins

The metrics with the biggest gap between the two - sorted so the most decisive edges read first.

FOUR leads on

Revenue CAGR 5y32.22%vs 15.13%+53%
EV/EBIT22.6xvs 45.8x+51%
P/E (TTM)30.3xvs 50.6x+40%

KLAC leads on

Dividend yield0.42%vs 0.0%+100%
Market cap$235.69Bvs $3.83B+98%
Net margin35.66%vs 2.29%+94%
ROIC (TTM)36.29%vs 4.31%+88%

More like FOUR

FOUR vs FICO FOUR vs FTNT FOUR vs CDNS FOUR vs NP FOUR vs 6920.T FOUR vs APP

More like KLAC

KLAC vs FICO KLAC vs FTNT KLAC vs CDNS KLAC vs NP KLAC vs 6920.T KLAC vs APP

Read the full Buffett-Brain analysis for FOUR Read the full Buffett-Brain analysis for KLAC

Related on invest-like

Strongest Moat Highest ROIC Warren Buffett strategy Economic Moat

Key terms in this analysis

ROIC Free Cash Flow (FCF)Economic Moat P/E Ratio Margin of Safety Quality Score

Educational tool. Fit scores are deterministic projections from public financials onto each investor's published criteria - not personal recommendations or advice.