Applied Materials, Inc. vs Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. Class A Common Stock — how do they compare? Applied Materials, Inc. trades at $537.5 (market cap $414.54B), while Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. Class A Common Stock trades at $356.44 (market cap $9.39B). The key difference: Applied Materials, Inc. is far larger — about 44.1× Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. Class A Common Stock's market cap, and Applied Materials, Inc. pays a 0.41% dividend while Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. Class A Common Stock pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| AMAT | BIO | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $414.54B | $9.39B |
Sector | Technology | Health |
52-Week High | $723.00 | $356.25 |
52-Week Low | $156.25 | $241.71 |
Enterprise Value | $413.57B | $9.14B |
Dividend Yield | 0.41% | — |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Applied Materials (AMAT) trades at $525.61, down 2.51% on the day, amid a neutral technical signal with key support at $510 and resistance at $546. The company shows strong fundamentals with a 29.31% net income margin and consistent earnings beats, including Q1 2026 EPS of $2.86 versus $2.68 expected. Recent news highlights CEO Gary Dickerson's optimism on AI-driven semiconductor demand, calling it the 'greatest time in the history of the industry' (CNBC, 2026-05-28).
Outlook remains positive with a consensus price target of $662.82, implying 26% upside, supported by 76.9% analyst buy ratings. Risks include high valuation multiples like a P/E of 49.12 and cyclical semiconductor equipment demand. The stock offers growth exposure to AI infrastructure but faces volatility from tech sector shifts.
BIO trades at $352.47, up 2.93% today, near its consensus price target of $350. The stock shows a bullish technical trend with strong moving average signals, though RSI levels indicate overbought conditions. Fundamentally, Q2 2026 earnings beat expectations at $2.62 EPS, but revenue remains flat at $2.58 billion in 2025. The company has returned to profitability with a net income of $759.9 million after losses in prior years, supported by a solid gross margin of 51.9%.
The outlook is cautiously optimistic with analyst consensus at Buy (53.85%), but high P/E of 43.18 suggests premium valuation. Risks include revenue stagnation and sensitivity to academic research funding. Upside is supported by positive cash flow trends and institutional accumulation, yet investors should weigh valuation against growth prospects.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
Applied Materials is the world's largest supplier of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, providing materials engineering solutions to help make nearly every chip in the world. The firm's systems are used in nearly every major process step with the exception of lithography. Key tools include those for chemical and physical vapor deposition, etching, chemical mechanical polishing, wafer- and reticle-inspection, critical dimension measurement, and defect-inspection scanning electron microscopes.
Read more on AMAT →Bio-Rad Laboratories, headquartered in Hercules, California, develops, manufactures, and markets products and solutions for the clinical diagnostics and life sciences markets. In diagnostics (53% of sales), Bio-Rad manufactures, sells, and supports test systems and specialized quality controls for clinical laboratories. In life sciences (47% of sales), the firm develops and manufactures a range of instruments and reagents used in research, biopharmaceutical production, and food testing. The company is geographically diverse, with major markets in the Americas (42% of 2021 sales), Europe and Africa (33%), and Asia-Pacific (25%). Bio-Rad owns 37% of Sartorius AG, a laboratory and biopharmaceutical supplier.
Read more on BIO →