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AMAT vs UCTT
Which Stock Would AI Choose? Applied Materials (AMAT) vs. Ultra Clean Holdings (UCTT) Stock Comparison
Key Takeaways
- Both AMAT and UCTT operate in the semiconductor equipment supply chain and have delivered substantial year-to-date gains amid AI-driven capital spending.
- AMAT is a leading provider of wafer fabrication equipment with broader revenue diversification and direct exposure to chipmakers’ capital expenditure budgets.
- UCTT supplies critical subsystems, components, and cleaning services, positioning it as a more specialized player with higher customer concentration.
- Recent market activity shows AMAT approaching fiscal third-quarter results with expectations of continued AI-related demand, while UCTT reported second-quarter revenue above guidance.
- Relative performance reflects differences in scale, pricing power, and positioning within the semiconductor value chain, with AMAT demonstrating greater stability in trend structure.
- Market sentiment for both remains tied to semiconductor capital expenditure trends, though AMAT benefits from a wider analyst following and more consistent momentum signals.
Introduction
Applied Materials (AMAT) and Ultra Clean Holdings (UCTT) represent two distinct points in the semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem. AMAT supplies advanced wafer fabrication equipment, while UCTT provides critical subsystems, components, and process control solutions. This comparison examines their business models, recent performance patterns, and relative positioning in the current market environment. Institutional investors, momentum traders, and those monitoring AI-related capital expenditure trends may find the analysis useful for understanding trade-offs between scale, specialization, and cyclical exposure in the semiconductor equipment sector.
AMAT Overview and Recent Performance
Applied Materials designs and manufactures equipment used in the fabrication of semiconductors, including systems for deposition, etching, and inspection. In recent weeks, the stock has exhibited strong upward momentum supported by sustained AI-related demand for advanced chipmaking tools. Analysts have issued multiple upward price-target revisions, reflecting expectations for continued growth in wafer fabrication equipment spending. The company is scheduled to report fiscal third-quarter results on August 13, with consensus estimates pointing to revenue near $8.95 billion. Broader market activity has featured volatility in semiconductor names, yet AMAT has maintained relatively consistent trend behavior amid shifting sentiment around export regulations and China exposure. Year-to-date gains have significantly outpaced broader market indices, underscoring the stock’s sensitivity to capital expenditure cycles in the semiconductor industry.
UCTT Overview and Recent Performance
Ultra Clean Holdings supplies critical subsystems, components, and cleaning and process-control services primarily to semiconductor capital equipment manufacturers. In recent market activity, the company reported second-quarter revenue of $644.9 million, exceeding the upper end of its guided range and reflecting stronger customer demand. The stock has posted substantial year-to-date appreciation, though it has also experienced sharper pullbacks compared with larger peers. Recent earnings highlighted improved non-GAAP margins and a return to profitability on a GAAP basis versus the prior quarter. Market sentiment has been influenced by the same AI-driven semiconductor cycle affecting the broader sector, with volatility tied to order visibility and customer concentration. The company’s smaller scale and more specialized role in the supply chain contribute to higher beta relative to larger equipment providers.
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Head-to-Head Comparison
AMAT operates as a direct supplier of high-value wafer fabrication equipment, granting it greater pricing power and diversification across multiple process steps. UCTT, by contrast, functions primarily as a subsystems and services provider with tighter customer relationships and narrower product scope. Recent momentum has favored both names amid rising semiconductor capital expenditure, yet AMAT has shown more stable trend consistency and broader analyst coverage. Risk factors differ: AMAT faces greater regulatory scrutiny on export controls, while UCTT carries higher exposure to individual customer order patterns. Sector exposure remains similar, centered on AI and advanced-node manufacturing, but market capitalization and liquidity differences result in distinct volatility profiles. Sentiment shifts in the semiconductor equipment space tend to amplify moves in smaller suppliers like UCTT more than in established leaders.
Tickeron AI Verdict
Based on observable factors including trend consistency, relative price stability, catalyst visibility, and sector positioning, Tickeron’s AI framework would currently assign a higher probability of favorable positioning to AMAT over UCTT. AMAT’s larger scale, direct exposure to AI-driven capital expenditure, and more uniform momentum signals align with patterns the models identify as higher-probability setups. UCTT offers potential at compressed valuations but exhibits greater variability in trend structure and catalyst dependence. This assessment reflects probabilistic, data-driven evaluation rather than a definitive forecast, and market conditions can shift rapidly.
Disclaimer
The information on this webpage is provided for general informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as investment advice, a recommendation to purchase or sell any security, or an offer or solicitation related to investments. It does not consider your personal financial situation, goals, or risk profile, and all investing carries inherent risks, including the possibility of losing your entire investment. For more details, please review our full disclaimer.
To compare these two companies we present long-term analysis, their fundamental ratings and make comparative short-term technical analysis which are presented below. The conclusion is AMAT is a Hold and UCTT is a Buy.
Long-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a long-term outlook for a ticker by using Fundamental Analysis (FA) ratings. The rating of 1 to 100, where 1 is best and 100 is worst, is divided into thirds. The first third (a green rating of 1-33) indicates that the ticker is undervalued; the second third (a grey number between 34 and 66) means that the ticker is valued fairly; and the last third (red number of 67 to 100) reflects that the ticker is undervalued. We use an FA Score to show how many ratings show the ticker to be undervalued (green) or overvalued (red).
AMAT’s FA Score shows that 2 FA rating(s) are green whileUCTT’s FA Score has 0 green FA rating(s).
- AMAT’s FA Score: 2 green, 3 red.
- UCTT’s FA Score: 0 green, 5 red.
Short-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a short-term outlook for a ticker by using Technical Analysis (TA) indicators. We use Odds of Success as the percentage of outcomes which confirm successful trade signals in the past.
If the Odds of Success (the likelihood of the continuation of a trend) for each indicator are greater than 50%, then the generated signal is confirmed. A green percentage from 90% to 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bullish trend. A red percentage from 90% - 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bearish trend. All grey percentages are below 50% and are considered not to confirm the trend signal.
AMAT’s TA Score shows that 4 TA indicator(s) are bullish while UCTT’s TA Score has 6 bullish TA indicator(s).
- AMAT’s TA Score: 4 bullish, 6 bearish.
- UCTT’s TA Score: 6 bullish, 4 bearish.
Price Growth
AMAT (@Electronic Production Equipment) experienced а -5.93% price change this week, while UCTT (@Electronic Production Equipment) price change was -2.66% for the same time period.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Electronic Production Equipment industry was +2.16%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was +0.88%, and the average quarterly price growth was +46.40%.
Reported Earning Dates
AMAT is expected to report earnings on Nov 12, 2026.
UCTT is expected to report earnings on Oct 28, 2026.
Industries' Descriptions
@Electronic Production Equipment (+2.16% weekly)The electronic production equipment industry makes equipment used to produce semiconductors. Such equipment includes wafer fabrication, plasma etching and photo-resist processing equipment. The industry also makes chemical vapor deposition processing systems and photomasks, which are high-purity quartz plates that contain patterns to define integrated circuits layouts. Applied Materials, Inc., Lam Research Corporation, and KLA-Tencor Corporation are examples of electronic production equipment manufacturing companies.
| AMAT | UCTT | AMAT / UCTT | |
| Capitalization | 403B | 3.85B | 10,481% |
| EBITDA | 11.1B | -34.5M | -32,174% |
| Gain YTD | 97.846 | 235.294 | 42% |
| P/E Ratio | 43.76 | 39.89 | 110% |
| Revenue | 29B | 2.07B | 1,402% |
| Total Cash | 8.24B | 324M | 2,544% |
| Total Debt | 7.27B | 780M | 932% |
AMAT | UCTT | ||
|---|---|---|---|
OUTLOOK RATING 1..100 | 61 | 10 | |
VALUATION overvalued / fair valued / undervalued 1..100 | 67 Overvalued | 53 Fair valued | |
PROFIT vs RISK RATING 1..100 | 39 | 70 | |
SMR RATING 1..100 | 25 | 97 | |
PRICE GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 38 | 37 | |
P/E GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 9 | 100 | |
SEASONALITY SCORE 1..100 | 65 | n/a |
Tickeron ratings are formulated such that a rating of 1 designates the most successful stocks in a given industry, while a rating of 100 points to the least successful stocks for that industry.
UCTT's Valuation (53) in the Electronic Production Equipment industry is in the same range as AMAT (67). This means that UCTT’s stock grew similarly to AMAT’s over the last 12 months.
AMAT's Profit vs Risk Rating (39) in the Electronic Production Equipment industry is in the same range as UCTT (70). This means that AMAT’s stock grew similarly to UCTT’s over the last 12 months.
AMAT's SMR Rating (25) in the Electronic Production Equipment industry is significantly better than the same rating for UCTT (97). This means that AMAT’s stock grew significantly faster than UCTT’s over the last 12 months.
UCTT's Price Growth Rating (37) in the Electronic Production Equipment industry is in the same range as AMAT (38). This means that UCTT’s stock grew similarly to AMAT’s over the last 12 months.
AMAT's P/E Growth Rating (9) in the Electronic Production Equipment industry is significantly better than the same rating for UCTT (100). This means that AMAT’s stock grew significantly faster than UCTT’s over the last 12 months.
| AMAT | UCTT | |
|---|---|---|
| RSI ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 73% | 3 days ago 60% |
| Stochastic ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 75% | 3 days ago 85% |
| Momentum ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 71% | 3 days ago 74% |
| MACD ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 78% | 3 days ago 80% |
| TrendWeek ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 65% | 3 days ago 76% |
| TrendMonth ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 66% | 3 days ago 77% |
| Advances ODDS (%) | 5 days ago 78% | 4 days ago 73% |
| Declines ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 64% | 12 days ago 73% |
| BollingerBands ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 90% | 3 days ago 84% |
| Aroon ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 67% | 3 days ago 74% |
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UCTT and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, UCTT has been closely correlated with ONTO. These tickers have moved in lockstep 79% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is a high statistical probability that if UCTT jumps, then ONTO could also see price increases.
| Ticker / NAME | Correlation To UCTT | 1D Price Change % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UCTT | 100% | -8.59% | ||
| ONTO - UCTT | 79% Closely correlated | -1.81% | ||
| LRCX - UCTT | 78% Closely correlated | -1.38% | ||
| AMAT - UCTT | 77% Closely correlated | -5.12% | ||
| COHU - UCTT | 77% Closely correlated | +1.65% | ||
| ICHR - UCTT | 75% Closely correlated | -0.20% | ||
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