AMAT vs. QCOM: Applied Materials vs. QUALCOMM Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Applied Materials (AMAT) and QUALCOMM (QCOM) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

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

Company profile comparison for Applied Materials (AMAT) and QUALCOMM (QCOM)
Profile Item	AMAT	QCOM
Name	Applied Materials Inc.	QUALCOMM Incorporated
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Information Technology	Information Technology
GICS Industry Group	Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment	Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment
GICS Industry	Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment	Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment
GICS Sub-Industry	Semiconductor Materials & Equipment	Semiconductors
Market Capitalization	264.04 billion USD	176.99 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	Nasdaq
Listing Date	March 17, 1980	December 13, 1991
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

AMAT

QCOM

GSPC

Applied Materials (AMAT) vs. QUALCOMM (QCOM), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

Loading price history…

Trailing total returns for Applied Materials (AMAT) and QUALCOMM (QCOM). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…

Calendar-year total returns for Applied Materials (AMAT) and QUALCOMM (QCOM). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Applied Materials (AMAT) and QUALCOMM (QCOM)
Metric	AMAT	QCOM
Total Return (1Y)	62.12%	4.41%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	38.42%	15.75%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	19.86%	3.17%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

AMAT

QCOM

GSPC

Applied Materials (AMAT) vs. QUALCOMM (QCOM), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

Loading price history…

Distribution of monthly total returns for Applied Materials (AMAT) and QUALCOMM (QCOM). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Applied Materials (AMAT) and QUALCOMM (QCOM)
Metric	AMAT	QCOM
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	63.72%	55.42%
Beta (5Y)	1.68	1.73
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-55.80%	-44.29%
Avg. Volume (3M)	7.16M	12.25M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

AMAT and QCOM are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Applied Materials (AMAT) and QUALCOMM (QCOM)
Metric	AMAT	QCOM
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.91	0.00
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.35	0.00

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Applied Materials (AMAT) at 41.07% and QUALCOMM (QCOM) at 52.82% sit in the top peer quartile for ROE, suggesting each generates more profit from shareholders’ equity than typical industry peers.

AMAT

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

41.07%

Max: 52.82%
AMAT: 41.07%
Q3: 22.26%
Median: 10.58%
Q1: 1.29%
Min: -16.89%

QCOM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

52.82%

QCOM: 52.82%
Max: 52.82%
Q3: 22.26%
Median: 10.58%
Q1: 1.29%
Min: -16.89%

Applied Materials (AMAT) vs. QUALCOMM (QCOM): A comparison of their ROE against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both Applied Materials (AMAT) at 30.05% and QUALCOMM (QCOM) at 31.61% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

AMAT

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

30.05%

Max: 63.80%
AMAT: 30.05%
Q3: 28.36%
Median: 11.44%
Q1: 0.90%
Min: -37.77%

QCOM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

31.61%

Max: 63.80%
QCOM: 31.61%
Q3: 28.36%
Median: 11.44%
Q1: 0.90%
Min: -37.77%

Applied Materials (AMAT) vs. QUALCOMM (QCOM): A comparison of their net margin against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Applied Materials (AMAT) at 33.74% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of QUALCOMM (QCOM) at 15.41%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

AMAT

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

33.74%

Max: 58.66%
AMAT: 33.74%
Q3: 30.23%
Median: 15.91%
Q1: 7.54%
Min: -25.74%

QCOM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

15.41%

Max: 58.66%
Q3: 30.23%
Median: 15.91%
QCOM: 15.41%
Q1: 7.54%
Min: -25.74%

Applied Materials (AMAT) vs. QUALCOMM (QCOM): A comparison of their operating margin against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Applied Materials (AMAT) and QUALCOMM (QCOM)
Metric	AMAT	QCOM
ROE (TTM)	41.07%	52.82%
ROA (TTM)	15.48%	10.13%
Net Margin (TTM)	30.05%	31.61%
Operating Margin (TTM)	33.74%	15.41%
Gross Margin (TTM)	49.40%	53.10%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Applied Materials (AMAT) at 4.39% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while QUALCOMM (QCOM) at -2.63% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

Applied Materials (AMAT) vs. QUALCOMM (QCOM): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

QUALCOMM (QCOM) at 153.49% clears its industry range for EPS growth, a much stronger earnings trajectory than Applied Materials (AMAT) at 0.58%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

Applied Materials (AMAT) vs. QUALCOMM (QCOM): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Applied Materials (AMAT) and QUALCOMM (QCOM)
Metric	AMAT	QCOM
Revenue Growth (YoY)	4.39%	-2.63%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	3.23%	6.38%
EPS Growth (YoY)	0.58%	153.49%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	5.19%	25.53%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Applied Materials (AMAT) at 2.42 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while QUALCOMM (QCOM) at 1.86 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for QCOM.

AMAT

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

2.42

Max: 10.33
Q3: 5.62
Median: 3.33
AMAT: 2.42
Q1: 2.35
Min: 1.03

QCOM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

1.86

Max: 10.33
Q3: 5.62
Median: 3.33
Q1: 2.35
QCOM: 1.86
Min: 1.03

Applied Materials (AMAT) vs. QUALCOMM (QCOM): A comparison of their current ratio against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Applied Materials (AMAT) at 0.29 and QUALCOMM (QCOM) at 0.53 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

AMAT

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

0.29

Max: 1.46
Q3: 0.65
AMAT: 0.29
Median: 0.27
Q1: 0.04
Min: 0.00

QCOM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

0.53

Max: 1.46
Q3: 0.65
QCOM: 0.53
Median: 0.27
Q1: 0.04
Min: 0.00

Applied Materials (AMAT) vs. QUALCOMM (QCOM): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Applied Materials (AMAT) and QUALCOMM (QCOM)
Metric	AMAT	QCOM
Current Ratio (MRQ)	2.42	1.86
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.29	0.53
Net Debt / EBITDA	-0.19	0.78

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Applied Materials (AMAT) at 0.62% pays an industry-typical yield; QUALCOMM (QCOM) at 2.31% is above its entire peer range — the higher number, but one that calls for a look at payout sustainability before treating it as an advantage.

AMAT

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

0.62%

Max: 1.37%
Q3: 0.65%
AMAT: 0.62%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

QCOM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

2.31%

QCOM: 2.31%
Max: 1.37%
Q3: 0.65%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Applied Materials (AMAT) vs. QUALCOMM (QCOM): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Applied Materials (AMAT) at 16.48% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while QUALCOMM (QCOM) at 28.50% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

AMAT

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

16.48%

Max: 49.64%
Q3: 21.71%
AMAT: 16.48%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

QCOM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

28.50%

Max: 49.64%
QCOM: 28.50%
Q3: 21.71%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Applied Materials (AMAT) vs. QUALCOMM (QCOM): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Applied Materials (AMAT) and QUALCOMM (QCOM)
Metric	AMAT	QCOM
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.62%	2.31%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	16.48%	28.50%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

QUALCOMM (QCOM) at 13.02 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while Applied Materials (AMAT) at 28.71 is closer to its industry’s usual earnings multiple — a discount for QCOM, though growth and earnings durability still matter.

AMAT

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

28.71

Max: 110.34
Q3: 66.81
Median: 37.02
AMAT: 28.71
Q1: 23.96
Min: 8.12

QCOM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

13.02

Max: 110.34
Q3: 66.81
Median: 37.02
Q1: 23.96
QCOM: 13.02
Min: 8.12

Applied Materials (AMAT) vs. QUALCOMM (QCOM): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both Applied Materials (AMAT) at 8.56 and QUALCOMM (QCOM) at 4.10 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

AMAT

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

8.56

Max: 21.42
Q3: 12.27
AMAT: 8.56
Median: 5.76
Q1: 2.73
Min: 0.00

QCOM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

4.10

Max: 21.42
Q3: 12.27
Median: 5.76
QCOM: 4.10
Q1: 2.73
Min: 0.00

Applied Materials (AMAT) vs. QUALCOMM (QCOM): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

QUALCOMM (QCOM) at 5.83 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Applied Materials (AMAT) at 10.30 carries an above-peer premium to book — AMAT is pricier on assets.

AMAT

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

10.30

Max: 14.06
AMAT: 10.30
Q3: 7.44
Median: 4.29
Q1: 2.30
Min: 0.20

QCOM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

5.83

Max: 14.06
Q3: 7.44
QCOM: 5.83
Median: 4.29
Q1: 2.30
Min: 0.20

Applied Materials (AMAT) vs. QUALCOMM (QCOM): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Applied Materials (AMAT) and QUALCOMM (QCOM)
Metric	AMAT	QCOM
P/E Ratio (TTM)	28.71	13.02
P/S Ratio (TTM)	8.56	4.10
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	10.30	5.83
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	1.16%	5.15%