Agilent Technologies (A) Competitors

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

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 0.9%. Agilent Technologies pays an annual dividend of $0.99 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. 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.

Does the media favor AMAT or A?

In the previous week, Applied Materials had 46 more articles in the media than Agilent Technologies. MarketBeat recorded 69 mentions for Applied Materials and 23 mentions for Agilent Technologies. Applied Materials' average media sentiment score of 1.13 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	48 Very Positive mention(s)	5 Positive mention(s)	11 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Agilent Technologies	14 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	6 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Which has more volatility & risk, AMAT or A?

Applied Materials has a beta of 1.69, meaning that its stock price is 69% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Agilent Technologies has a beta of 1.23, meaning that its stock price is 23% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Do institutionals & insiders hold more shares of AMAT or A?

80.6% of Applied Materials shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 87.4% of Agilent Technologies shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.2% of Applied Materials shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.3% of Agilent Technologies shares are owned by company 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.

Do analysts prefer AMAT or A?

Applied Materials currently has a consensus price target of $202.65, indicating a potential upside of 3.72%. Agilent Technologies has a consensus price target of $139.77, indicating a potential upside of 15.06%. Given Agilent Technologies' higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Agilent 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
Agilent Technologies	0 Sell rating(s)	6 Hold rating(s)	7 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.54

Which has higher earnings and valuation, 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	5.77	$7.18B	$8.22	23.77
Agilent Technologies	$6.63B	5.21	$1.29B	$4.05	29.99

Is AMAT or A more profitable?

Applied Materials has a net margin of 24.06% compared to Agilent Technologies' net margin of 17.59%. Applied Materials' return on equity of 40.15% beat Agilent Technologies' return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Applied Materials	24.06%	40.15%	22.42%
Agilent Technologies	17.59%	25.92%	13.24%

Summary

Applied Materials beats Agilent Technologies on 14 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.