AMAT vs MS: Which Is the Better Buy?

Side-by-side comparison of Applied Materials, Inc. and Morgan Stanley โ€” fair value, conviction, valuation metrics, and QuantHub research signals. Updated 2026-04-22.
Applied Materials, Inc. ยท Technology
$394.33
-58.9% upside to fair value
Grade C High Quality
VS
Morgan Stanley ยท Financial Services
$189.30
-30.5% upside to fair value
Grade C High Quality
QuantHub Verdict
MS has more upside to fair value (-30.5%). MS trades at a lower forward P/E (16.4x). These are model outputs โ€” not personalized investment advice. See all research โ†’
Valuation & Fundamentals
Metric AMAT MS
Current Price $394.33 $189.30
Fair Value Estimate $162.08 $131.49
Upside to Fair Value -58.9% -30.5%
Market Cap $312.9B $300.6B
Forward P/E 39.9x 16.4x
EV / EBITDA 31.6x 24.4x
Price / Sales 11.1x 2.5x
Price / FCF 50.5x -16.8x
Revenue Growth YoY -2.1% +18.8%
Gross Margin 48.7% 58.0%
Operating Margin 29.1% 19.5%
Return on Equity 38.9% 16.7%
Dividend Yield 0% 0%
FCF Yield 1.98% โ€”
Analyst Consensus Strong Buy Hold
Investment Thesis
AMAT โ€” Applied Materials, Inc.
Applied Materials, Inc. is a leading global provider of semiconductor and display equipment, specializing in materials engineering solutions critical to chip manufacturing. The company benefits from a durable competitive moat supported by its market leadership, innovation engine with over 8,500 patents since 2013, and a strong management team led by CEO Gary E. Dickerson. Despite these strengths,โ€ฆ
MS โ€” Morgan Stanley
Morgan Stanley is a leading global financial services firm operating in Institutional Securities, Wealth Management, and Investment Management. The company benefits from a durable competitive moat supported by its systemically important status, diversified revenue streams, and strong management with a 36-year veteran CEO. Despite solid fundamentals including 14.2% revenue growth in 2025 and 16.7%โ€ฆ
Accumulation Zones
Metric AMAT MS
Zone Low $121.56 $98.62
Zone High $137.77 $111.77
In Buy Zone? No No
โ† AMAT Research    MS Research โ†’    All Research