Applied Materials, Inc. vs Hormel Foods Corp — how do they compare? Applied Materials, Inc. trades at $575.96 (market cap $478.36B), while Hormel Foods Corp trades at $24.52 (market cap $13.61B). The key difference: Applied Materials, Inc. is far larger — about 35.1× Hormel Foods Corp's market cap, and Hormel Foods Corp pays the higher dividend (4.73%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| AMAT | HRL | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $478.36B | $13.61B |
Sector | Technology | Consumer Staples |
52-Week High | $723.00 | $30.51 |
52-Week Low | $156.25 | $19.74 |
Enterprise Value | $477.39B | $15.61B |
Dividend Yield | 0.35% | 4.73% |
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.
Hormel Foods (HRL) trades at $24.735, up 1.66% today, with a bearish technical signal but consistent earnings beats in recent quarters. The company maintains a 60-year dividend growth streak, paying $0.29 quarterly, while navigating margin pressures with a 3.82% net income margin. Recent news highlights strategic moves like the Ceratti Brazil sale to sharpen growth focus, though revenue trends remain flat near $12.1B.
Outlook is mixed: valuation appears reasonable (P/E 29.09, P/S 1.11) with analyst consensus at $26.00, but risks include volatile cash flows and competitive pressures. The stock offers income stability via dividends, yet investors face headwinds from inflation and sluggish profit growth, requiring patience for a turnaround.
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 →Hormel Foods is a protein-focused branded food company. Its brands include its namesake Hormel, Spam, Jennie-O, Dinty Moore, Applegate, Wholly Guacamole, and Skippy. The vast majority of the company's revenue is U.S.-based: 64% U.S. retail, 28% U.S. food service, and 8% international. By product type, in fiscal 2021, 23% of revenue was shelf-stable foods, 18% was poultry (branded and commodity), 55% was other perishable food, and 3% was other, primarily nutritional products. The company holds the number-one market position in shelf-stable meat, shelf-stable ready meals, pepperoni, natural/organic deli meat, and guacamole and the number-two position in turkey, bacon, chilled ready meals, and peanut butter.
Read more on HRL →