Agilent Technologies (A) Competitors

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) and Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) are related large-cap companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, earnings, profitability, risk, dividends, media sentiment, institutional ownership and valuation.

Which has more volatility & risk, AMAT or A?

Applied Materials has a beta of 1.7, suggesting that its share price is 70% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Agilent Technologies has a beta of 1.22, suggesting that its share price is 22% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Which has higher valuation & earnings, AMAT or A?

Applied Materials has higher revenue and earnings than Agilent Technologies. Applied Materials is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Agilent Technologies, 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	4.84	$7.18B	$8.39	19.70
Agilent Technologies	$6.51B	5.46	$1.29B	$4.05	30.91

Does the media favor AMAT or A?

In the previous week, Applied Materials had 6 more articles in the media than Agilent Technologies. MarketBeat recorded 55 mentions for Applied Materials and 49 mentions for Agilent Technologies. Applied Materials' average media sentiment score of 1.14 beat Agilent Technologies' score of 1.05 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	38 Very Positive mention(s)	3 Positive mention(s)	8 Neutral mention(s)	4 Negative mention(s)	1 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Agilent Technologies	29 Very Positive mention(s)	4 Positive mention(s)	10 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Do analysts prefer AMAT or A?

Applied Materials presently has a consensus price target of $193.88, indicating a potential upside of 17.31%. Agilent Technologies has a consensus price target of $139.25, indicating a potential upside of 11.25%. Given Applied Materials' stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities research analysts plainly believe Applied Materials is more favorable than Agilent Technologies.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Applied Materials	1 Sell rating(s)	13 Hold rating(s)	17 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.52
Agilent Technologies	0 Sell rating(s)	6 Hold rating(s)	6 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.50

Is AMAT or A a better dividend stock?

Applied Materials pays an annual dividend of $1.84 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.1%. Agilent Technologies pays an annual dividend of $0.99 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.8%. Applied Materials pays out 21.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Agilent Technologies pays out 24.4% 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 and Agilent Technologies has raised its dividend for 9 consecutive years. Applied Materials is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Do insiders & institutionals have more ownership in AMAT or A?

80.6% of Applied Materials shares are held by institutional investors. 0.2% of Applied Materials shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Is AMAT or A more profitable?

Applied Materials has a net margin of 23.88% compared to Agilent Technologies' net margin of 17.97%. Applied Materials' return on equity of 40.96% beat Agilent Technologies' return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Applied Materials	23.88%	40.96%	22.99%
Agilent Technologies	17.97%	25.88%	13.01%

Summary

Applied Materials beats Agilent Technologies on 16 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.