Axcelis Technologies (ACLS) Competitors

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

Do institutionals and insiders believe 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 company insiders. Comparatively, 0.5% of Axcelis Technologies shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Which has more risk and volatility, AMAT or ACLS?

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

Does the media refer more to AMAT or ACLS?

In the previous week, Applied Materials had 51 more articles in the media than Axcelis Technologies. MarketBeat recorded 56 mentions for Applied Materials and 5 mentions for Axcelis Technologies. Axcelis Technologies' average media sentiment score of 1.35 beat Applied Materials' score of 1.16 indicating that Axcelis Technologies is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Applied Materials	39 Very Positive mention(s)	3 Positive mention(s)	11 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Axcelis Technologies	3 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Which has preferable 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	$28.09B	5.69	$7.18B	$8.22	24.24
Axcelis Technologies	$1.02B	2.26	$200.99M	$5.46	13.14

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%

Do analysts recommend AMAT or ACLS?

Applied Materials currently has a consensus price target of $204.74, suggesting a potential upside of 2.73%. Axcelis Technologies has a consensus price target of $118.33, suggesting a potential upside of 64.92%. Given Axcelis Technologies' higher possible upside, analysts plainly 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

Summary

Applied Materials beats Axcelis Technologies on 12 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.