As the Q1 earnings season comes to a close, it’s time to take stock of this quarter’s best and worst performers in the semiconductor manufacturing industry, including FormFactor (NASDAQ: FORM) and its peers.

The semiconductor industry is driven by demand for advanced electronic products like smartphones, PCs, servers, and data storage. The need for technologies like artificial intelligence, 5G networks, and smart cars is also creating the next wave of growth for the industry. Keeping up with this dynamism requires new tools that can design, fabricate, and test chips at ever smaller sizes and more complex architectures, creating a dire need for semiconductor capital manufacturing equipment.

The 14 semiconductor manufacturing stocks we track reported a very strong Q1. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 2.2% while next quarter’s revenue guidance was in line.

In light of this news, share prices of the companies have held steady. On average, they are relatively unchanged since the latest earnings results.

FormFactor (NASDAQ: FORM)

With customers across the foundry and fabless markets, FormFactor (NASDAQ: FORM) is a US-based provider of test and measurement technologies for semiconductors.

FormFactor reported revenues of $226.1 million, up 32% year on year. This print was in line with analysts’ expectations, and overall, it was a very strong quarter for the company with a beat of analysts’ EPS and adjusted operating income estimates.

“FormFactor’s first quarter revenue grew sequentially to the second consecutive all-time record, with gross margin and earnings per share significantly above the high end of our outlook range,” said Mike Slessor, CEO of FormFactor, Inc.

Investor expectations, however, were likely higher than Wall Street’s published projections, leaving some wishing for even better results (analysts’ consensus estimates are those published by big banks and advisory firms, not the investors who make buy and sell decisions). The stock is down 11.9% since reporting and currently trades at $119.41.

Is now the time to buy FormFactor? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Best Q1: Kulicke and Soffa (NASDAQ: KLIC)

Headquartered in Singapore, Kulicke & Soffa (NASDAQ: KLIC) is a provider of production equipment and tools used to assemble semiconductor devices

Kulicke and Soffa reported revenues of $242.6 million, up 49.8% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 5.5%. The business had a stunning quarter with a beat of analysts’ EPS and adjusted operating income estimates.

The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 6.4% since reporting. It currently trades at $99.83.

Is now the time to buy Kulicke and Soffa? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Weakest Q1: Photronics (NASDAQ: PLAB)

Sporting a global footprint of facilities, Photronics (NASDAQ: PLAB) is a manufacturer of photomasks, templates used to transfer patterns onto semiconductor wafers.

Photronics reported revenues of $209.9 million, flat year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 2.8%. It was a disappointing quarter as it posted revenue guidance for next quarter missing analysts’ expectations significantly and a significant miss of analysts’ revenue estimates.

Photronics delivered the weakest performance against analyst estimates and slowest revenue growth in the group. As expected, the stock is down 45.1% since the results and currently trades at $29.35.

Read our full analysis of Photronics’s results here.

KLA Corporation (NASDAQ: KLAC)

Formed by the 1997 merger of the two leading semiconductor yield management companies, KLA Corporation (NASDAQ: KLAC) is the leading supplier of equipment used to measure and inspect semiconductor chips.

KLA Corporation reported revenues of $3.42 billion, up 11.5% year on year. This number surpassed analysts’ expectations by 1.2%. It was a satisfactory quarter as it also produced a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates.

The stock is up 17.8% since reporting and currently trades at $2,139.

Read our full, actionable report on KLA Corporation here, it’s free.

Lam Research (NASDAQ: LRCX)

Founded in 1980 by David Lam, the man who pioneered semiconductor etching technology, Lam Research (NASDAQ: LRCX) is one of the leading providers of wafer fabrication equipment used to make semiconductors.

Lam Research reported revenues of $5.84 billion, up 23.8% year on year. This result topped analysts’ expectations by 1.7%. It was an exceptional quarter as it also logged revenue guidance for next quarter exceeding analysts’ expectations and a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates.

The stock is up 22.8% since reporting and currently trades at $326.13.

Read our full, actionable report on Lam Research here, it’s free.

Market Update

Late in 2025 into early 2026, there was hand-wringing around artificial intelligence. For software companies, the fear was that AI would erode pricing power and compress margins as new tools made it easier to replicate what once required expensive enterprise platforms. Crypto investors had their own version of the same anxiety: if AI agents could trade, allocate capital, and manage wallets autonomously, what exactly was the long-term value of today’s crypto infrastructure?

These concerns triggered a noticeable rotation away from these sectors and into safer havens. But markets rarely dwell on one narrative for long. Spring 2026 came, and the focus shifted abruptly from technological disruption to geopolitical risk. The US’ conflict with Iran became the dominant driver of market psychology, and when geopolitics takes center stage, the script changes quickly. Investors stop debating growth rates and start worrying about oil supply, inflation, and global stability.

Want to invest in winners with rock-solid fundamentals? Check out our 9 Best Market-Beating Stocks and add them to your watchlist. These companies are poised for growth regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate.