Micron Technology (MU) Competitors

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

Does the MarketBeat Community prefer AMAT or MU?

Micron Technology received 1743 more outperform votes than Applied Materials when rated by MarketBeat users. Likewise, 80.55% of users gave Micron Technology an outperform vote while only 71.98% of users gave Applied Materials an outperform vote.

Company	Underperform	Outperform
Applied Materials	Outperform Votes 1914 71.98%	Underperform Votes 745 28.02%
Micron Technology	Outperform Votes 3657 80.55%	Underperform Votes 883 19.45%

Is AMAT or MU a better dividend stock?

Applied Materials pays an annual dividend of $1.60 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.9%. Micron Technology pays an annual dividend of $0.46 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.5%. Applied Materials pays out 18.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Micron Technology pays out 67.6% 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 is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Which has more risk and volatility, AMAT or MU?

Applied Materials has a beta of 1.56, indicating that its share price is 56% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Micron Technology has a beta of 1.18, indicating that its share price is 18% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Is AMAT or MU more profitable?

Applied Materials has a net margin of 26.41% compared to Micron Technology's net margin of 3.10%. Applied Materials' return on equity of 39.26% beat Micron Technology's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Applied Materials	26.41%	39.26%	21.92%
Micron Technology	3.10%	1.58%	1.05%

Which has higher valuation & earnings, AMAT or MU?

Applied Materials has higher revenue and earnings than Micron Technology. Applied Materials is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Micron Technology, 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	5.17	$7.18B	$8.61	19.80
Micron Technology	$25.11B	4.34	$778M	$0.68	144.66

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

80.6% of Applied Materials shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 80.8% of Micron Technology shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.3% of Applied Materials shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.3% of Micron Technology shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Does the media favor AMAT or MU?

In the previous week, Applied Materials had 57 more articles in the media than Micron Technology. MarketBeat recorded 102 mentions for Applied Materials and 45 mentions for Micron Technology. Micron Technology's average media sentiment score of 1.17 beat Applied Materials' score of 0.55 indicating that Micron Technology is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Applied Materials	41 Very Positive mention(s)	9 Positive mention(s)	17 Neutral mention(s)	18 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Micron Technology	34 Very Positive mention(s)	4 Positive mention(s)	4 Neutral mention(s)	2 Negative mention(s)	1 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Do analysts prefer AMAT or MU?

Applied Materials currently has a consensus target price of $219.81, indicating a potential upside of 28.93%. Micron Technology has a consensus target price of $143.04, indicating a potential upside of 45.41%. Given Micron Technology's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Micron Technology is more favorable than Applied Materials.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Applied Materials	0 Sell rating(s)	7 Hold rating(s)	15 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.68
Micron Technology	1 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	26 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.89

Summary

Applied Materials beats Micron Technology on 11 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.