Applied Materials, Inc. vs Vanguard Information Technology Index Fund ETF — how do they compare? Applied Materials, Inc. trades at $548.74 (market cap $417.31B), while Vanguard Information Technology Index Fund ETF trades at $121.68. The key difference: Applied Materials, Inc. pays a 0.4% dividend while Vanguard Information Technology Index Fund ETF pays none, and Vanguard Information Technology Index Fund ETF is trading nearer its 52-week high, Applied Materials, Inc. nearer its low. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| AMAT | VGT | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $417.31B | — |
Sector | Technology | — |
52-Week High | $723.00 | $125.77 |
52-Week Low | $156.25 | $83.59 |
Enterprise Value | $416.34B | — |
Dividend Yield | 0.4% | — |
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.
VGT trades at $121.85, up 1.33% with strong bullish momentum from moving averages. The ETF benefits from institutional accumulation and positive AI infrastructure exposure. Technical indicators show RSI_6 at 82.74 suggesting overbought conditions while ADX signals strong trend strength. Recent news highlights institutional buying sprees and Microsoft's earnings boost to tech ETFs.
Outlook remains positive given institutional confidence and AI-driven growth, though concentration risk and overbought technicals warrant caution. The pure-tech focus has outperformed broader tech ETFs historically, but semiconductor volatility presents near-term headwinds.
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 →The fund employs an indexing investment approach designed to track the performance of the MSCI US Investable Market Index/Information Technology 25/50, an index made up of stocks of large, mid-size, and small US companies within the information technology sector, as classified under the GICS. The advisor attempts to replicate the target index by seeking to invest all of its assets in the stocks that make up the index, in order to hold each stock in approximately the same proportion as its weighting in the index. It is non-diversified.
Read more on VGT →