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Teradyne Benefits From Strong Test Demand: Can It Beat KLAC & COHU?

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Key Takeaways

  • Teradyne's Q3 revenues surged 70% to $1.31 billion on strong AI chip and semiconductor test demand.
  • TER's Semiconductor Test revenues jumped 77%, fueled by AI accelerators, HBM and power management.
  • Teradyne's product innovations and hyperscaler demand strengthen its position against KLA and Cohu.

Teradyne (TER - Free Report) is benefiting from strong semiconductor test demand, accelerating artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure investments, and increasing complexity in advanced chip architectures. Rising demand for AI accelerators, high-bandwidth memory (HBM), and high-performance computing solutions is strengthening the company’s growth prospects and competitive position against KLA (KLAC - Free Report) and Cohu (COHU - Free Report) .

Teradyne reported impressive third-quarter 2026 results, with revenues surging 70% year over year to $1.31 billion. Semiconductor Test revenues increased 77% to more than $1 billion, supported by robust demand for AI accelerators, high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and power management solutions. Compute revenues grew nearly 50%, while memory revenues reached a record $301 million, reflecting strong demand for HBM and DRAM testing.

Teradyne’s expanding product portfolio is another key growth driver. The company’s UltraFLEXplus platform is gaining traction as hyperscalers increasingly adopt dual-vendor testing strategies. Its recently introduced UltraVS64-HP, UltraPort-PCIe6 and Magnum E2 solutions strengthen its ability to address next-generation AI accelerators, high-speed connectivity and advanced memory testing requirements. Teradyne expects additional hyperscaler capacity purchases and compute-related revenue opportunities in 2027.

Teradyne’s expanding AI-driven opportunities and product innovations position it favorably to sustain momentum against KLAC and COHU. For the fourth quarter of 2026, Teradyne expects revenues between $1.25 billion and $1.35 billion. The midpoint of the guidance range stands at $1.30 billion.

How Competitors Fare Against TER

Teradyne is facing stiff competition from companies such as KLA and Cohu. Both companies are expanding their footprint in the semiconductor industry.

KLA is benefiting from strong semiconductor demand, driven by accelerating investments in AI infrastructure, leading-edge foundry/logic, memory, and advanced packaging. Semiconductor Process Control revenues rose 29% year over year to $3.75 billion in the first quarter of fiscal 2027. Foundry and logic represented 72% of system revenue to semiconductor customers, while memory contributed 28%. 

Management expects memory to reach about 40% in the second quarter of fiscal 2027, including 84% DRAM. KLA raised its calendar 2026 wafer equipment market view, including advanced packaging, to the mid-$150 billion range and expects spending to exceed $200 billion in 2027. 

Cohu’s improving semiconductor test demand and expanding exposure to AI computing, HBM inspection and software remain noteworthy. Growing AI workloads are driving demand for HBM, and Cohu has established a position in this market through its Neon inspection platform. Cohu is extending its Neon inspection platform across HBM3, HBM4 and HBM4E production while investing in HBM5 and later generations.

TER’s Share Price Performance, Valuation and Estimates

Teradyne shares have soared 36.3% year to date, outperforming the Zacks Computer & Technology sector’s 8.8% growth and the Zacks Electronics - Miscellaneous Products increase of 15.2%.

TER Stock Performance

Zacks Investment Research
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TER stock is trading at a premium with a forward 12-month Price/Sales of 6.55X compared with the Computer & Technology sector’s 5.05X. TER has a Value Score of D.

TER Valuation

Zacks Investment Research
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2026 earnings is pegged at $9.41 per share, which has increased 3.29% over the past 30 days. This suggests 137.63% year-over-year growth.

Teradyne currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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