Price movement over the last 24 hours
Applied Materials, Inc. vs Northrop Grumman Corporation — how do they compare? Applied Materials, Inc. trades at $583 (market cap $478.36B), while Northrop Grumman Corporation trades at $540.13 (market cap $76.65B). The key difference: Applied Materials, Inc. is far larger — about 6.2× Northrop Grumman Corporation's market cap, and Northrop Grumman Corporation pays the higher dividend (1.74%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| AMAT | NOC | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $478.36B | $76.65B |
Sector | Technology | Industrials |
52-Week High | $723.00 | $768.02 |
52-Week Low | $156.25 | $496.02 |
Enterprise Value | $477.39B | $90.87B |
Dividend Yield | 0.35% | 1.74% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Applied Materials (AMAT) trades at $602.50, up 2.35% today, with strong earnings beats in recent quarters and a consensus analyst price target of $644.33. The stock shows a bullish moving average signal but neutral oscillators, with key resistance at $617 and support at $573. Revenue grew to $28.37B in 2025, with a net income margin of 24.66%, though valuation ratios like P/E of 56.68 are elevated. Recent news highlights CEO Gary Dickerson's optimism on AI-driven semiconductor demand, positioning AMAT for multi-year growth.
The outlook for AMAT is positive, driven by AI infrastructure expansion and consistent earnings outperformance. Risks include high valuation multiples and semiconductor cycle volatility. With 76.9% of analysts rating it a buy and institutional sentiment bullish, the stock offers growth potential but requires monitoring of execution and market conditions.
Northrop Grumman (NOC) trades at $539.63, up 1.39% with a bearish technical signal despite recent earnings beats. The stock shows strong fundamentals with a $95.61B backlog, 10.8% net margin, and consistent cash flow growth. Analyst consensus remains bullish with a $694.40 price target, though technical indicators show resistance near $542.
NOC presents a compelling value opportunity with reasonable valuation (P/E 16.92) and strong defense sector positioning. Key risks include political budget uncertainty and execution challenges. The upcoming Q2 earnings on July 21, 2026, will be crucial for confirming growth trajectory amid current technical weakness.
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 →Northrop Grumman is a defense contractor that is diversified across short-cycle and long-cycle businesses. The firm's segments include aeronautics, mission systems, defense services, and space systems. The company's aerospace segment creates the fuselage for the massive F-35 program and produces various piloted and autonomous flight systems. Mission systems creates a variety of sensors and processors for defense hardware. The defense systems segment is a long-range missile manufacturer. Finally, the company's space systems segment produces various space structures, sensors, and satellites.
Read more on NOC →