Applied Materials, Inc. vs Nomura Holdings Inc — how do they compare? Applied Materials, Inc. trades at $553.68 (market cap $417.31B), while Nomura Holdings Inc trades at $9.8 (market cap $28.46B). The key difference: Applied Materials, Inc. is far larger — about 14.7× Nomura Holdings Inc's market cap, and Nomura Holdings Inc pays the higher dividend (3.31%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| AMAT | NMR | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $417.31B | $28.46B |
Sector | Technology | Financials |
52-Week High | $723.00 | $10.04 |
52-Week Low | $156.25 | $6.73 |
Enterprise Value | $416.34B | — |
Dividend Yield | 0.4% | 3.31% |
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.
Nomura Holdings (NMR) trades at $9.925, up 1.07% on the day, with a bullish technical signal from moving averages and a neutral stance from oscillators. The company reported strong revenue growth, with 2025 revenue reaching $1.66 trillion and net income of $340.74 billion, yielding a net margin of 20.4%. Recent earnings show a mix of beats and misses, with Q2 2026 EPS beating expectations. Analyst consensus leans toward Hold, with 66.67% of coverage recommending Hold and 33.33% Buy.
The outlook for NMR is supported by robust profitability and valuation metrics like a P/E of 11.59, suggesting potential undervaluation. However, risks include inconsistent cash flow from operations, rising debt-to-asset ratios, and macroeconomic sensitivity. Investors should weigh solid fundamentals against cash flow volatility and debt trends for balanced decision-making.
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 →Nomura is Japan's largest broker, about twice the size of rival Daiwa Securities and roughly three times the size of the securities units of the three megabanks. It is also the largest asset-management company in Japan, with a similar size differential compared with its rivals. Despite its topnotch brand name in retail broking and asset management in Japan, Nomura has struggled to compete effectively in the institutional securities business against larger global rivals. In 2008, Nomura bought European and Asian assets of the failed Lehman Brothers, which led to a sharply higher cost base but did not provide commensurate revenue. Nomura has reduced the scale of these businesses but maintains its ambition to compete globally with the top players.
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