ALAB vs. AMAT: Astera Labs vs. Applied Materials Stock Comparison

Company Profile

Astera Labs (ALAB) and Applied Materials (AMAT) both belong to the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry, though ALAB is classified under Semiconductors while AMAT falls under Semiconductor Materials & Equipment.

Applied Materials (AMAT) carries decades of public-market history since March 17, 1980, while Astera Labs (ALAB) listed on March 20, 2024 — long-window comparisons have far more historical data on the AMAT side.

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

Trailing Returns

Calendar-Year Returns

Performance Metrics

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

Return Distribution

Risk Metrics

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Profitability

Both Astera Labs (ALAB) at 28.21% and Applied Materials (AMAT) at 41.07% sit in the top peer quartile for ROE, suggesting each generates more profit from shareholders’ equity than typical industry peers.

For every dollar of sales, both Astera Labs (ALAB) at 29.64% and Applied Materials (AMAT) at 30.05% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

Both Astera Labs (ALAB) at 30.61% and Applied Materials (AMAT) at 33.74% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

Profitability Metrics

Growth

Astera Labs (ALAB) at 115.13% clears its industry range for revenue growth, far stronger top-line momentum than Applied Materials (AMAT) at 4.39%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

Only one side can be read here: Applied Materials (AMAT) reports EPS growth of 0.58%, ranked against its industry; Astera Labs (ALAB) has no EPS growth figure this period.

Growth Metrics

Financial Strength

Applied Materials (AMAT) at 2.42 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Astera Labs (ALAB) at 8.03 sits above its industry’s typical mid-range — comfortable liquidity, though possibly with more idle current assets relative to peers.

Astera Labs (ALAB) at 0.02 keeps leverage in the lower industry quartile, while Applied Materials (AMAT) at 0.29 runs a more typical debt-to-equity mix.

Financial Strength Metrics

Dividends

Astera Labs (ALAB) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Applied Materials (AMAT) reports a yield of 0.62%, ranking against industry peers normally.

Astera Labs (ALAB) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Applied Materials (AMAT) reports a payout of 16.48%, ranking against industry peers normally.

Dividend Metrics

Valuation

Applied Materials (AMAT) at 28.71 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Astera Labs (ALAB) at 75.38 sits in the richer quartile — ALAB needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

Applied Materials (AMAT) at 8.56 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Astera Labs (ALAB) at 21.42 sits in the pricier quartile — ALAB costs more per dollar of sales.

Both look rich against book: Applied Materials (AMAT) at 10.30 sits in the upper P/B ratio quartile, and Astera Labs (ALAB) at 16.67 prices even higher, above its industry range.

Valuation Metrics