For most investors, how much a stock's price changes over time is important. This factor can impact your investment portfolio as well as help you compare investment results across sectors and industries.
FOMO, or the fear of missing out, also plays a role in investing, particularly with tech giants and popular consumer-facing stocks.
What if you'd invested in Onto Innovation (ONTO) ten years ago? It may not have been easy to hold on to ONTO for all that time, but if you did, how much would your investment be worth today?
Onto Innovation's Business In-Depth
With that in mind, let's take a look at Onto Innovation's main business drivers.
Headquartered in Wilmington, MA, Onto Innovation is a worldwide leader in the design, development, manufacture and support of metrology and inspection tools, lithography systems and process control analytical software, primarily for semiconductor device fabricators, silicon wafer manufacturers and advanced packaging service providers in the semiconductor space.
The company was formed through a merger between Nanometrics Incorporated and Rudolph Technologies on Oct 25, 2019. Built on the rich legacies of these two companies, Onto Innovation has emerged as a strong player in the semiconductor equipment industry with unique perspectives across the semiconductor value chain.
Onto Innovation’s product lines include Automated Metrology Systems, Integrated Metrology Systems, Macro Defect Inspection, Silicon Wafer All-surface Inspection/Characterization, Automated Defect Classification and Pattern Analysis, Yield Analysis, Opaque Film Metrology, Advanced Packaging Lithography and Industrial, Scientific, and Research Markets (4D Technology), Process Control Software and Yield Management Software.
For 2024, total revenues were $987 million. It generates revenues through the sales of its systems and software, as well as spare parts and related services. Systems & software comprised 86% of total revenues, Parts 8% and Services the rest 6%.
The company has an extensive geographical footprint and supports a diverse range of customers in more than 18 countries.
It derives a significant portion of its revenues from customers in Asia, particularly Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Samsung Electronics and Toshiba Corporation. Taiwan and South Korea were the largest markets in 2024, contributing 31% and 29% respectively. China accounted for 12%, the United States 11%, while Japan and Southeast Asia each contributed 6%, and Europe made up the remaining 5%.
The company faces competition in each of the markets it operates. Some of the key competitors include KLA Corporation, Nova Ltd, Camtek Ltd, GigaVis Co. Ltd and PDF Solutions, Inc.
Bottom Line
Anyone can invest, but building a successful investment portfolio requires research, patience, and a little bit of risk. So, if you had invested in Onto Innovation, ten years ago, you're likely feeling pretty good about your investment today.
According to our calculations, a $1000 investment made in December 2015 would be worth $9,212.36, or a gain of 821.24%, as of December 1, 2025, and this return excludes dividends but includes price increases.
Compare this to the S&P 500's rally of 227.69% and gold's return of 279.23% over the same time frame.
Analysts are forecasting more upside for ONTO too.
Despite a softer semiconductor market, Onto Innovation exceeded third-quarter revenue and EPS guidance, led by its diversified portfolio and growing foothold in AI-driven advanced packaging. Successful 3Di and Dragonfly qualifications, product uptake and offshore manufacturing ramp-up position it for solid sequential and long-term growth. It expects about 18% fourth-quarter sales growth at the midpoint of $250-$265 million, driven by strong Dragonfly demand from 2.5D packaging customers and higher DRAM and logic spending. Momentum is building into 2026, with the Semilab acquisition and strong execution expected to boost competitiveness and margins. Its cash flow strength provides the flexibility to invest in R&D and pursue accretive acquisitions. However, fourth-quarter margins are likely to be hurt by higher costs from inbound raw material tariffs.
Shares have gained 6.08% over the past four weeks and there have been 4 higher earnings estimate revisions for fiscal 2025 compared to none lower. The consensus estimate has moved up as well.
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Onto Innovation Inc. (ONTO): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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