Applied Materials, Inc. vs Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund — how do they compare? Applied Materials, Inc. trades at $541 (market cap $417.31B), while Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund trades at $43.63. The key difference: Applied Materials, Inc. pays a 0.4% dividend while Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund pays none, and Applied Materials, Inc. is trading nearer its 52-week high, Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund nearer its low. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| AMAT | XLU | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $417.31B | — |
Sector | Technology | — |
52-Week High | $723.00 | $47.73 |
52-Week Low | $156.25 | $41.31 |
Enterprise Value | $416.34B | — |
Dividend Yield | 0.4% | — |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Applied Materials (AMAT) trades at $525.61, down 2.51% on the day, amid a neutral technical signal with key support at $510 and resistance at $546. The company shows strong fundamentals with a 29.31% net income margin and consistent earnings beats, including Q1 2026 EPS of $2.86 versus $2.68 expected. Recent news highlights CEO Gary Dickerson's optimism on AI-driven semiconductor demand, calling it the 'greatest time in the history of the industry' (CNBC, 2026-05-28).
Outlook remains positive with a consensus price target of $662.82, implying 26% upside, supported by 76.9% analyst buy ratings. Risks include high valuation multiples like a P/E of 49.12 and cyclical semiconductor equipment demand. The stock offers growth exposure to AI infrastructure but faces volatility from tech sector shifts.
No Aura AI signal available yet.
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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 →In seeking to track the performance of the index, the fund employs a replication strategy. It generally invests substantially all, but at least 95%, of its total assets in the securities comprising the index. The index includes securities of companies from the following industries: electric utilities; water utilities; multi-utilities; independent power and renewable electricity producers; and gas utilities. The fund is non-diversified.
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