Applied Materials, Inc. vs SPDR Gold Trust — how do they compare? Applied Materials, Inc. trades at $581.61 (market cap $478.36B), while SPDR Gold Trust trades at $370.39. The key difference: Applied Materials, Inc. pays a 0.35% dividend while SPDR Gold Trust pays none, and Applied Materials, Inc. is trading nearer its 52-week high, SPDR Gold Trust nearer its low. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| AMAT | GLD | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $478.36B | — |
Sector | Technology | — |
52-Week High | $723.00 | $495.90 |
52-Week Low | $156.25 | $300.96 |
Enterprise Value | $477.39B | — |
Dividend Yield | 0.35% | — |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Applied Materials (AMAT) trades at $602.50, up 2.35% recently, with strong technical support near $573 and resistance at $617. The company demonstrates robust fundamentals, including a 29.31% net income margin and consistent earnings beats, while benefiting from AI-driven semiconductor demand highlighted in recent CEO commentary (CNBC, 2026-05-28).
Outlook remains positive given analyst consensus of $644.33 price target and 76.9% buy ratings, though elevated P/E of 56.68 poses valuation risk. Key opportunities include AI infrastructure growth, while risks involve cyclical semiconductor demand and execution challenges in scaling operations.
GLD trades at $376.91, down 0.34% on the day, with a bearish technical signal driven by moving averages. The stock lacks standard financial ratios (P/E, P/S, P/B, ROE) as it is an ETF tracking gold. Recent news highlights gold's 25% decline from highs, central bank buying support, and mixed sentiment ahead of CPI data and Federal Reserve policy cues, keeping prices range-bound near $4,100/oz equivalents.
Outlook hinges on macroeconomic factors: inflation data and Fed policy may test support levels, while geopolitical risks and central bank demand provide buffers. Risks include prolonged rate hikes pressuring gold, but long-term bullish fundamentals persist. Investors face volatility with no clear near-term catalyst for breakout.
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 →GLD is the largest physically backed gold ETF in the world. It offers investors a cost-efficient and secure way to track the price of gold bullion without the need for physical storage.
Read more on GLD →