Applied Materials, Inc. vs Salesforce Inc — how do they compare? Applied Materials, Inc. trades at $552.49 (market cap $417.31B), while Salesforce Inc trades at $192.55 (market cap $161.73B). The key difference: Applied Materials, Inc. is far larger — about 2.6× Salesforce Inc's market cap, and Salesforce Inc pays the higher dividend (0.89%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| AMAT | CRM | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $417.31B | $161.73B |
Sector | Technology | Technology |
52-Week High | $723.00 | $266.23 |
52-Week Low | $156.25 | $150.12 |
Enterprise Value | $416.34B | $191.77B |
Dividend Yield | 0.4% | 0.89% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Applied Materials (AMAT) trades at $522.12, down 3.16% on the day, amid a neutral technical signal with support at $510 and resistance at $546. The company has consistently beaten earnings estimates in recent quarters, with Q1 2026 EPS of $2.86 surpassing the $2.68 forecast. Strong profitability is evident with a net margin of 29.31% and ROE of 39.69%, though valuation ratios like a P/E of 49.45 are elevated. Recent news highlights robust AI-driven demand in semiconductor equipment, with CEO Gary Dickerson calling it the industry's strongest period ever (CNBC, 2026-05-28).
The outlook remains positive given analyst consensus with a $662.82 price target and 76.9% buy ratings, but risks include high valuation sensitivity and cyclical semiconductor capital spending. Revenue growth to $29.0B in 2026 with a projected 29.31% net margin supports upside, though investors should monitor competitive pressures and macroeconomic impacts on tech spending.
Salesforce (CRM) trades at $192.28, down 2.65% today amid a broader tech sell-off, but maintains strong fundamentals with consistent earnings beats, robust profitability margins, and solid cash flow growth. The stock exhibits a bullish technical trend with key support at $193, while analyst consensus remains overwhelmingly positive with a $230.83 price target. Recent news highlights AI-driven growth potential but also sector-wide volatility concerns.
Outlook is favorable given CRM's rule of 44 performance, AI monetization momentum, and discounted valuation, though risks include competitive pressures, macroeconomic headwinds, and elevated RSI levels suggesting near-term overbought conditions. The company's double-digit revenue growth and expanding margins support long-term upside if execution continues.
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 →Salesforce Inc provides enterprise cloud computing solutions. The company offers customer relationship management technology that brings companies and customers together. Its Customer 360 platform helps the group to deliver a single source of truth, connecting customer data across systems, apps, and devices to help companies sell, service, market, and conduct commerce. It also offers Service Cloud for customer support, Marketing Cloud for digital marketing campaigns, Commerce Cloud as an e-commerce engine, the Salesforce Platform, which allows enterprises to build applications, and other solutions, such as MuleSoft for data integration.
Read more on CRM →