AMAT vs VST: Which Is the Better Buy?
Side-by-side comparison of Applied Materials, Inc. and Vistra Corp. — fair value, conviction, valuation metrics, and QuantHub research signals.
Updated 2026-09-24.
Applied Materials, Inc. · Technology
$474.38
-3.5% upside to fair value
Med Conviction
Grade C
High Quality
VS
Vistra Corp. · Utilities
$140.67
-23.0% upside to fair value
Med Conviction
Grade C
QuantHub Verdict
AMAT has more upside to fair value
(-3.5%).
These are model outputs — not personalized investment advice.
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Valuation & Fundamentals
| Metric |
AMAT |
VST |
| Current Price |
$474.38 |
$140.67 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$457.95 |
$108.27 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
-3.5%
|
-23.0%
|
| Market Cap |
$376.6B |
$47.4B |
| Forward P/E |
—
|
—
|
| EV / EBITDA |
33.1x
|
10.3x
|
| Price / Sales |
12.2x
|
3.0x
|
| Price / FCF |
67.0x
|
34.7x
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
+24.8%
|
-5.5%
|
| Gross Margin |
49.4%
|
13.0%
|
| Operating Margin |
30.5%
|
2.3%
|
| Return on Equity |
40.4%
|
41.5%
|
| Dividend Yield |
0.42% |
0.65% |
| FCF Yield |
1.49%
|
2.88%
|
| Analyst Consensus |
Strong Buy
|
Strong Buy
|
Investment Thesis
Applied Materials is the largest supplier of wafer fabrication equipment, providing deposition, etch, ion implantation, and process-control tools alongside a growing Applied Global Services aftermarket business to semiconductor manufacturers worldwide. The business quality is high: TTM gross margin of 49.4%, TTM operating margin of 30.5%, TTM net margin of 30.1%, and ROE of 40.4% reflect a durabl…
Vistra Corp. is a vertically integrated independent power producer and retail electricity supplier operating roughly 38,700 megawatts of generation across natural gas, nuclear, coal, solar, and battery storage, serving about 4.3 million retail customers in 20 states and the District of Columbia. The business quality is mixed: the diversified PJM and ERCOT fleet plus retail load is a genuine struc…
Accumulation Zones
| Metric |
AMAT |
VST |
| Zone Low |
$343.46 |
$81.20 |
| Zone High |
$389.26 |
$92.03 |
| In Buy Zone? |
No
|
No
|