NVEC vs. ONTO

Last updated Jun 4, 2026

NVEC (NVE Corporation) and ONTO (Onto Innovation Inc.) are both stocks. Both are in the Technology sector — NVEC in Semiconductors, ONTO in Semiconductor Equipment & Materials. Over the past 10 years, NVEC returned 13.17%/yr vs 30.93%/yr for ONTO. At a 0.24 correlation, their price movements are largely independent.

Performance

NVEC vs. ONTO - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in NVE Corporation (NVEC) and Onto Innovation Inc. (ONTO). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, NVEC achieves a 90.35% return, which is significantly higher than ONTO's 77.36% return. Over the past 10 years, NVEC has underperformed ONTO with an annualized return of 13.17%, while ONTO has yielded a comparatively higher 30.93% annualized return.

NVEC

• 1D: -2.13%
• 1M: 32.56%
• YTD: 90.35%
• 6M: 70.54%
• 1Y: 62.09%
• 3Y*: 12.81%
• 5Y*: 15.87%
• 10Y*: 13.17%

ONTO

• 1D: 0.70%
• 1M: -6.53%
• YTD: 77.36%
• 6M: 77.07%
• 1Y: 193.14%
• 3Y*: 37.71%
• 5Y*: 31.22%
• 10Y*: 30.93%

*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

NVEC vs. ONTO - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
NVEC NVE Corporation	90.35%	-22.70%	9.21%	27.70%	1.86%	28.64%	-15.47%	-13.93%	6.17%	26.60%
ONTO Onto Innovation Inc.	77.36%	-5.29%	9.01%	124.56%	-32.74%	112.89%	30.13%	33.70%	9.67%	-0.56%

Correlation

The correlation between NVEC and ONTO is 0.46, which is low. Their price movements are largely independent, making them effective diversification partners.

	Correlation
Correlation (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.46
Correlation (3Y) Calculated over the trailing 3-year period	0.45
Correlation (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.49
Correlation (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.44
Correlation (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history since Sep 27, 1996	0.24

Over the past year, NVEC and ONTO have become more correlated (0.46) than their long-term average of 0.24, meaning their price movements have been converging.

Fundamentals

Market Cap NVEC : $532.41M ONTO : $14.00B
EPS NVEC : $3.14 ONTO : $2.15
PE Ratio NVEC : 35.03 ONTO : 130.02
PEG Ratio NVEC : 6.75 ONTO : 11.66
PS Ratio NVEC : 20.22 ONTO : 13.42
PB Ratio NVEC : 9.14 ONTO : 6.57
Total Revenue (TTM) NVEC : $26.33M ONTO : $1.03B
Gross Profit (TTM) NVEC : $20.73M ONTO : $502.93M
EBITDA (TTM) NVEC : $16.19M ONTO : $177.93M

Return for Risk

NVEC vs. ONTO — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

NVEC

NVEC Risk / Return Rank: 75
NVEC Sharpe Ratio Rank: 79
NVEC Sortino Ratio Rank: 72
NVEC Omega Ratio Rank: 75
NVEC Calmar Ratio Rank: 77
NVEC Martin Ratio Rank: 73

ONTO

ONTO Risk / Return Rank: 94
ONTO Sharpe Ratio Rank: 96
ONTO Sortino Ratio Rank: 92
ONTO Omega Ratio Rank: 90
ONTO Calmar Ratio Rank: 97
ONTO Martin Ratio Rank: 97

The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

NVEC vs. ONTO - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for NVE Corporation (NVEC) and Onto Innovation Inc. (ONTO). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

	NVEC	ONTO	Difference
Sharpe ratio: Return per unit of total volatility	1.35	3.53	-2.17
Sortino ratio: Return per unit of downside risk	1.84	3.53	-1.69
Omega ratio: Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.27	1.44	-0.17
Calmar ratio: Return relative to maximum drawdown	2.32	9.60	-7.29
Martin ratio: Return relative to average drawdown	4.49	26.80	-22.31
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

NVEC vs. ONTO - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current NVEC Sharpe Ratio is 1.35, which is lower than the ONTO Sharpe Ratio of 3.53. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of NVEC and ONTO, calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months. A higher Sharpe Ratio indicates better risk-adjusted performance relative to the risk-free rate.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	NVEC	ONTO	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.35	3.53	-2.17
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.39	0.57	-0.18
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.32	0.61	-0.29
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.08	0.21	-0.13

Drawdowns

NVEC vs. ONTO - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum NVEC drawdown since its inception was -95.89%, roughly equal to the maximum ONTO drawdown of -98.56%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for NVEC and ONTO.

Drawdown Indicators

	NVEC	ONTO	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-95.89%	-98.56%	+2.67%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-26.92%	-20.24%	-6.68%
Max Drawdown (3Y) Largest decline over 3 years	-39.11%	-62.82%	+23.71%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-40.46%	-62.82%	+22.36%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-64.67%	-62.82%	-1.85%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-2.13%	-9.06%	+6.93%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-41.28%	-54.74%	+13.46%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	13.88%	7.24%	+6.64%

Volatility

NVEC vs. ONTO - Volatility Comparison

NVE Corporation (NVEC) has a higher volatility of 19.26% compared to Onto Innovation Inc. (ONTO) at 17.35%. This indicates that NVEC's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than ONTO based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	NVEC	ONTO	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	19.26%	17.35%	+1.91%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	33.58%	41.14%	-7.56%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	46.29%	55.20%	-8.91%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	40.60%	55.24%	-14.64%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	41.20%	51.13%	-9.93%

Dividends

NVEC vs. ONTO - Dividend Comparison

NVEC's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 3.64%, while ONTO has not paid dividends to shareholders.

Position	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
NVEC NVE Corporation	3.64%	6.74%	4.91%	5.10%	6.18%	5.86%	7.12%	5.60%	4.57%	4.65%	5.60%	9.01%
ONTO Onto Innovation Inc.	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%

Financials

NVEC vs. ONTO - Profitability Comparison

The chart below illustrates the profitability comparison between NVE Corporation and Onto Innovation Inc. over time, highlighting three key metrics: Gross Profit Margin, Operating Margin, and Net Profit Margin.

NVEC - Gross Margin

Gross margin is calculated as gross profit divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Jun 2026, NVE Corporation reported a gross profit of 5.95M and revenue of 7.65M. Therefore, the gross margin over that period was 77.7%.

ONTO - Gross Margin

Gross margin is calculated as gross profit divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Jun 2026, Onto Innovation Inc. reported a gross profit of 146.39M and revenue of 291.95M. Therefore, the gross margin over that period was 50.1%.

NVEC - Operating Margin

Operating margin is calculated as operating income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Jun 2026, NVE Corporation reported an operating income of 4.73M and revenue of 7.65M, resulting in an operating margin of 61.9%.

ONTO - Operating Margin

Operating margin is calculated as operating income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Jun 2026, Onto Innovation Inc. reported an operating income of 33.51M and revenue of 291.95M, resulting in an operating margin of 11.5%.

NVEC - Net Margin

Net margin is calculated as net income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Jun 2026, NVE Corporation reported a net income of 4.93M and revenue of 7.65M, resulting in a net margin of 64.4%.

ONTO - Net Margin

Net margin is calculated as net income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Jun 2026, Onto Innovation Inc. reported a net income of 33.75M and revenue of 291.95M, resulting in a net margin of 11.6%.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I hold both NVEC and ONTO in my portfolio?

NVEC and ONTO have a correlation of 0.46, meaning they provide meaningful diversification benefit when combined. Depending on your allocation goals, holding both could reduce overall portfolio risk.

Which is riskier, NVEC or ONTO?

NVEC has higher volatility (19.26%) compared to ONTO (17.35%). In terms of maximum drawdown, NVEC dropped -95.89% vs ONTO's -98.56%.

Which has better risk-adjusted returns?

ONTO currently has the higher Sharpe Ratio (3.53 vs 1.35), meaning it's delivered slightly more return per unit of risk over the trailing 12 months. However, this ranking shifts over time - use the Risk/Return Score above for a more comprehensive view that combines Sharpe, Sortino, and other measures used by quantitative funds.