Advanced Energy Industries (AEIS) Competitors

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) and Advanced Energy Industries (NASDAQ:AEIS) are both computer and technology companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their media sentiment, institutional ownership, risk, dividends, analyst recommendations, profitability, earnings and valuation.

Does the media refer more to AMAT or AEIS?

In the previous week, Applied Materials had 65 more articles in the media than Advanced Energy Industries. MarketBeat recorded 72 mentions for Applied Materials and 7 mentions for Advanced Energy Industries. Advanced Energy Industries' average media sentiment score of 1.23 beat Applied Materials' score of 1.12 indicating that Advanced Energy Industries is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Applied Materials	46 Very Positive mention(s)	6 Positive mention(s)	14 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Advanced Energy Industries	4 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Which has more volatility and risk, AMAT or AEIS?

Applied Materials has a beta of 1.69, suggesting that its stock price is 69% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Advanced Energy Industries has a beta of 1.52, suggesting that its stock price is 52% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Do institutionals and insiders hold more shares of AMAT or AEIS?

80.6% of Applied Materials shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 99.7% of Advanced Energy Industries shares are held by institutional investors. 0.2% of Applied Materials shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.2% of Advanced Energy Industries shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Which has preferable earnings and valuation, AMAT or AEIS?

Applied Materials has higher revenue and earnings than Advanced Energy Industries. Applied Materials is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Advanced Energy Industries, 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	5.84	$7.18B	$8.22	24.08
Advanced Energy Industries	$1.56B	3.40	$54.21M	$1.94	72.54

Do analysts rate AMAT or AEIS?

Applied Materials presently has a consensus target price of $203.65, indicating a potential upside of 2.89%. Advanced Energy Industries has a consensus target price of $126.89, indicating a potential downside of 9.84%. Given Applied Materials' higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Applied Materials is more favorable than Advanced Energy Industries.

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
Advanced Energy Industries	0 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	7 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.82

Is AMAT or AEIS more profitable?

Applied Materials has a net margin of 24.06% compared to Advanced Energy Industries' net margin of 4.73%. Applied Materials' return on equity of 40.15% beat Advanced Energy Industries' return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Applied Materials	24.06%	40.15%	22.42%
Advanced Energy Industries	4.73%	10.70%	5.48%

Is AMAT or AEIS a better dividend stock?

Applied Materials pays an annual dividend of $1.84 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.9%. Advanced Energy Industries pays an annual dividend of $0.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.3%. Applied Materials pays out 22.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Advanced Energy Industries pays out 20.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Applied Materials has raised its dividend for 8 consecutive years. Applied Materials is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Summary

Applied Materials beats Advanced Energy Industries on 13 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.