Axcelis Technologies (ACLS) Competitors

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) and Axcelis Technologies (NASDAQ:ACLS) are both computer and technology companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, profitability, earnings, media sentiment, valuation, analyst recommendations, risk and institutional ownership.

Is AMAT or ACLS more profitable?

Applied Materials has a net margin of 24.06% compared to Axcelis Technologies' net margin of 18.58%. Applied Materials' return on equity of 40.15% beat Axcelis Technologies' return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Applied Materials	24.06%	40.15%	22.42%
Axcelis Technologies	18.58%	18.55%	13.78%

Does the media refer more to AMAT or ACLS?

In the previous week, Applied Materials had 44 more articles in the media than Axcelis Technologies. MarketBeat recorded 54 mentions for Applied Materials and 10 mentions for Axcelis Technologies. Applied Materials' average media sentiment score of 1.43 beat Axcelis Technologies' score of 1.02 indicating that Applied Materials is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Applied Materials	46 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	6 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Axcelis Technologies	5 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	3 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Do analysts prefer AMAT or ACLS?

Applied Materials presently has a consensus target price of $205.17, suggesting a potential upside of 8.33%. Axcelis Technologies has a consensus target price of $118.33, suggesting a potential upside of 62.35%. Given Axcelis Technologies' higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Axcelis Technologies is more favorable than Applied Materials.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Applied Materials	0 Sell rating(s)	8 Hold rating(s)	17 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.68
Axcelis Technologies	0 Sell rating(s)	4 Hold rating(s)	1 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.20

Which has stronger earnings and valuation, AMAT or ACLS?

Applied Materials has higher revenue and earnings than Axcelis Technologies. Axcelis Technologies is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Applied Materials, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Applied Materials	$27.18B	5.59	$7.18B	$8.22	23.04
Axcelis Technologies	$1.02B	2.30	$200.99M	$5.46	13.35

Which has more risk and volatility, AMAT or ACLS?

Applied Materials has a beta of 1.69, meaning that its stock price is 69% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Axcelis Technologies has a beta of 1.57, meaning that its stock price is 57% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Do institutionals and insiders have more ownership in AMAT or ACLS?

80.6% of Applied Materials shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 90.0% of Axcelis Technologies shares are held by institutional investors. 0.2% of Applied Materials shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.5% of Axcelis Technologies shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

Applied Materials beats Axcelis Technologies on 13 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.