Applied Materials, Inc. vs UnitedHealth Group Inc — how do they compare? Applied Materials, Inc. trades at $587.02 (market cap $478.36B), while UnitedHealth Group Inc trades at $430.63 (market cap $385.62B). The key difference: Applied Materials, Inc. is the larger of the two by market cap, and UnitedHealth Group Inc pays the higher dividend (2.19%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| AMAT | UNH | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $478.36B | $385.62B |
Sector | Technology | Health |
52-Week High | $723.00 | $431.68 |
52-Week Low | $156.25 | $237.77 |
Enterprise Value | $477.39B | $432.30B |
Dividend Yield | 0.35% | 2.19% |
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.
UnitedHealth Group (UNH) trades at $424.62, down 1.64% on the day, slightly above the analyst consensus price target of $423.18. The stock shows bullish technical signals with strong moving average support and recent earnings beats in three consecutive quarters. Revenue has grown consistently from $322.1B in 2022 to $447.6B in 2025, though net income margin has compressed from 6.24% to 2.69% over the same period. Recent news highlights strategic moves to reduce pediatric prior authorizations and ongoing shareholder returns through dividends and buybacks.
Outlook remains positive with 82.7% analyst buy ratings and strong institutional support, driven by aging demographics and healthcare innovation. Key risks include regulatory scrutiny (Massachusetts Medicaid lawsuit filed May 29, 2026), margin pressure from rising costs, and increasing debt levels. The current P/E of 31.97 appears elevated relative to historical norms, suggesting valuation sensitivity to earnings growth.
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 →UnitedHealth Group is one of the largest private health insurers, providing medical benefits to 50 million members globally, including 5 million outside the U.S. at the end of 2021. As a leader in employer-sponsored, self-directed, and government-backed insurance plans, UnitedHealth has obtained massive scale in managed care. Along with its insurance assets, UnitedHealth's continued investments in its Optum franchises have created a healthcare services colossus that spans everything from medical and pharmaceutical benefits to providing outpatient care and analytics to both affiliated and third-party customers.
Read more on UNH →