Monolithic Power Systems (MPWR) Competitors

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) and Monolithic Power Systems (NASDAQ:MPWR) are both large-cap computer and technology companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, earnings, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, risk, dividends, media sentiment and valuation.

Do institutionals and insiders believe in AMAT or MPWR?

80.6% of Applied Materials shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 93.5% of Monolithic Power Systems shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.2% of Applied Materials shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 3.4% of Monolithic Power Systems shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Which has more volatility and risk, AMAT or MPWR?

Applied Materials has a beta of 1.69, indicating that its share price is 69% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Monolithic Power Systems has a beta of 1.2, indicating that its share price is 20% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Is AMAT or MPWR more profitable?

Monolithic Power Systems has a net margin of 76.59% compared to Applied Materials' net margin of 24.06%. Applied Materials' return on equity of 40.15% beat Monolithic Power Systems' return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Applied Materials	24.06%	40.15%	22.42%
Monolithic Power Systems	76.59%	19.80%	16.79%

Which has higher earnings and valuation, AMAT or MPWR?

Applied Materials has higher revenue and earnings than Monolithic Power Systems. Monolithic Power Systems 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	5.84	$7.18B	$8.22	24.08
Monolithic Power Systems	$2.21B	15.97	$1.79B	$37.67	19.54

Does the media prefer AMAT or MPWR?

In the previous week, Applied Materials had 48 more articles in the media than Monolithic Power Systems. MarketBeat recorded 71 mentions for Applied Materials and 23 mentions for Monolithic Power Systems. Monolithic Power Systems' average media sentiment score of 1.45 beat Applied Materials' score of 1.14 indicating that Monolithic Power Systems is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Applied Materials	45 Very Positive mention(s)	6 Positive mention(s)	14 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Monolithic Power Systems	16 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	3 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Do analysts prefer AMAT or MPWR?

Applied Materials currently has a consensus target price of $203.65, indicating a potential upside of 2.89%. Monolithic Power Systems has a consensus target price of $799.42, indicating a potential upside of 8.61%. Given Monolithic Power Systems' stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Monolithic Power Systems 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
Monolithic Power Systems	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	10 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.83

Is AMAT or MPWR a better dividend stock?

Applied Materials pays an annual dividend of $1.84 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.9%. Monolithic Power Systems pays an annual dividend of $6.24 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.8%. Applied Materials pays out 22.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Monolithic Power Systems pays out 16.6% 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 increased its dividend for 8 consecutive years and Monolithic Power Systems has increased its dividend for 8 consecutive years.

Summary

Applied Materials and Monolithic Power Systems tied by winning 9 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.