AMAT vs COST: Which Is the Better Buy?
Side-by-side comparison of Applied Materials, Inc. and Costco Wholesale Corporation — fair value, conviction, valuation metrics, and QuantHub research signals.
Updated 2026-07-08.
Applied Materials, Inc. · Technology
$603.04
-45.0% upside to fair value
Grade C
High Quality
VS
Costco Wholesale Corporation · Consumer Defensive
$947.50
-1.4% upside to fair value
Grade C
High Quality
QuantHub Verdict
COST has more upside to fair value
(-1.4%).
COST trades at a lower forward P/E
(47.6x).
These are model outputs — not personalized investment advice.
See all research →
Valuation & Fundamentals
| Metric |
AMAT |
COST |
| Current Price |
$603.04 |
$947.50 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$331.67 |
$933.84 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
-45.0%
|
-1.4%
|
| Market Cap |
$478.8B |
$420.2B |
| Forward P/E |
56.4x
|
47.6x
|
| EV / EBITDA |
43.0x
|
28.3x
|
| Price / Sales |
16.5x
|
1.4x
|
| Price / FCF |
80.3x
|
47.7x
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
+11.4%
|
+11.6%
|
| Gross Margin |
49.0%
|
12.9%
|
| Operating Margin |
29.5%
|
3.8%
|
| Return on Equity |
39.8%
|
28.3%
|
| Dividend Yield |
0% |
0% |
| FCF Yield |
1.25%
|
2.1%
|
| Analyst Consensus |
Strong Buy
|
Buy
|
Investment Thesis
Applied Materials, Inc. is a leading semiconductor equipment company with a strong competitive moat in multiple wafer fab equipment segments, driven by its scale, infrastructure, and technology leadership in AI-critical process steps. The company benefits from a seasoned management team led by CEO Gary Dickerson, who has over 12 years at the helm and a track record of strong revenue and profitabi…
Costco Wholesale Corporation operates as a membership-only warehouse club offering a wide range of merchandise at low prices. The company exhibits high business quality with a durable competitive moat driven by cost advantages, strong brand loyalty, and efficient operations, reflected in a robust ROE of 28.3% and solid revenue growth of 11.6% in the most recent quarter. Despite these strengths, t…
Accumulation Zones
| Metric |
AMAT |
COST |
| Zone Low |
$248.75 |
$700.38 |
| Zone High |
$281.92 |
$793.76 |
| In Buy Zone? |
No
|
No
|