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AMAT or ARM or FORM
Which Stock Would AI Choose? Applied Materials (AMAT) vs. Arm Holdings (ARM) vs. FormFactor (FORM) Stock Comparison
Key Takeaways
- AMAT has delivered strong year-to-date gains of over 50%, driven by AI-related equipment demand and the acquisition of NEXX for advanced packaging.
- ARM leads with approximately 85-90% YTD returns, fueled by royalty growth from AI processor designs amid robust sector momentum.
- FORM shows explosive performance, up nearly 160% YTD, boosted by recent Q1 earnings beat with 32% revenue growth and semiconductor test demand.
- All three benefit from AI and semiconductor tailwinds, but FORM exhibits the highest relative momentum in recent weeks.
- Business models differ: AMAT focuses on manufacturing equipment, ARM on IP licensing, and FORM on testing solutions.
- Tickeron's AI robots feature these tickers in high-performing semiconductor strategies with annualized returns up to 169%.
Introduction
This comparison examines AMAT, ARM, and FORM, three key players in the semiconductor ecosystem amid surging AI-driven demand. Applied Materials (AMAT) provides manufacturing equipment, Arm Holdings (ARM) licenses processor IP, and FormFactor (FORM) delivers test solutions. Traders seeking exposure to chip production cycles and investors eyeing long-term AI growth will find value in analyzing their relative performance, valuations, and market positioning in the current environment.
AMAT Overview and Recent Performance
Applied Materials (AMAT), Inc. is a leading provider of materials engineering solutions, including equipment for deposition, etching, and inspection in semiconductor manufacturing. Operating through Semiconductor Systems and Applied Global Services (AGS) segments, it serves global chipmakers. In recent market activity, AMAT shares have risen over 50% year-to-date, with a 52-week high near $420. Sentiment has been bolstered by Q1 fiscal 2026 results showing EPS beats and strong gross margins around 49%, despite slight revenue dips, amid AI infrastructure spending. The acquisition of NEXX enhances advanced packaging capabilities for AI chips, influencing positive price behavior despite export restrictions impacting China exposure.
ARM Overview and Recent Performance
Arm Holdings (ARM) plc designs and licenses energy-efficient CPU architectures and related IP for semiconductors used in smartphones, servers, and AI applications. Recent weeks have seen ARM deliver approximately 85-90% year-to-date gains, trading near $210 with a 52-week high of $237. Performance reflects record quarterly revenue growth of 26%, driven by royalties from AI workloads and data center expansions. Market sentiment remains elevated due to partnerships and projections for sustained demand, though high valuations (P/E over 270) introduce volatility sensitivity.
FORM Overview and Recent Performance
FormFactor (FORM), Inc. supplies probe cards, analytical probes, and systems for semiconductor testing across the product lifecycle, operating in Probe Cards and Systems segments. FORM has surged nearly 160% year-to-date, with shares around $145 and a 52-week high of $159. Recent Q1 fiscal 2026 earnings reported record revenue up 32% year-over-year to $226 million and EPS of $0.56, beating estimates, fueling sharp gains. Demand for testing advanced nodes and AI chips has shifted sentiment positively, supporting momentum despite sector-wide fluctuations.
Trending AI Robots
Tickeron’s Trending AI Robots page curates the top-performing AI trading bots from its library of over 350 bots that trade thousands of tickers across diverse strategies, timeframes, and sectors like semiconductors and AI infrastructure. Only the most suitable for current conditions—boasting annualized returns up to 169%, win rates of 51-88%, and profit factors to 11.7—earn a spot among the 25 featured trending robots. These bots employ momentum, sector rotation, and pattern recognition, with some targeting semiconductor plays including AMAT, FORM, and peers like LRCX and KLAC. Explore these high-conviction signals to enhance your trading edge.
Head-to-Head Comparison
AMAT and FORM focus on hardware—equipment and testing—tying performance to capex cycles, while ARM’s IP licensing offers scalable, less capital-intensive growth. AI serves as a core driver: AMAT via packaging tools, ARM through processor royalties, and FORM in validation. Recent momentum favors FORM (40%+ monthly) over ARM (39%) and AMAT (20%). Risks include geopolitics for all, with AMAT most exposed to China curbs. ARM trades at premium valuations, AMAT more reasonably (forward P/E ~36), and FORM higher due to growth. Sentiment tilts toward AI pure-plays like ARM.
Tickeron AI Verdict
Tickeron’s AI currently favors FORM for its superior recent trend consistency, earnings momentum, and positioning in semiconductor testing amid AI chip validation needs. With explosive YTD gains and bots featuring it in high-return strategies, FORM shows probabilistic edge over AMAT’s stability and ARM’s valuation stretch, though all benefit from sector catalysts.
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 Disclaimers and Limitations.
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 4 FA rating(s) are green whileARM’s FA Score has 1 green FA rating(s), and FORM’s FA Score reflects 2 green FA rating(s).
- AMAT’s FA Score: 4 green, 1 red.
- ARM’s FA Score: 1 green, 4 red.
- FORM’s FA Score: 2 green, 3 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 ARM’s TA Score has 3 bullish TA indicator(s), and FORM’s TA Score reflects 3 bullish TA indicator(s).
- AMAT’s TA Score: 4 bullish, 4 bearish.
- ARM’s TA Score: 3 bullish, 6 bearish.
- FORM’s TA Score: 3 bullish, 4 bearish.
Price Growth
AMAT (@Electronic Production Equipment) experienced а +0.27% price change this week, while ARM (@Semiconductors) price change was -1.93% , and FORM (@Electronic Production Equipment) price fluctuated -14.61% for the same time period.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Electronic Production Equipment industry was -0.97%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was +20.42%, and the average quarterly price growth was +140.48%.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Semiconductors industry was +4.47%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was +39.39%, and the average quarterly price growth was +81.10%.
Reported Earning Dates
AMAT is expected to report earnings on Aug 13, 2026.
ARM is expected to report earnings on Jul 29, 2026.
FORM is expected to report earnings on Aug 05, 2026.
Industries' Descriptions
@Electronic Production Equipment (-0.97% 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.
@Semiconductors (+4.47% weekly)The semiconductor industry manufacturers all chip-related products, including research and development. These chips are used in innumerable electronic devices, including computers, cell phones, smartphones, and GPSs. Intel Corporation, NVIDIA Corp., and Broadcomm are some of the prominent players in this industry. Semiconductor companies usually tend to do well during periods of healthy economic growth, thereby inducing further research and development in the industry – which in turn augurs well for productivity and growth in the economy. In the near future, demand for semiconductor products (and possibly innovation within the segment) should only expand further, with the proliferation of 5G, autonomous vehicles, IoT, and various AI-driven electronics set to herald a new, advanced chapter in the technology-driven world as we know it. With burgeoning prospects comes great competition. In 2015, SIA estimated that U.S. semiconductor industry ranks as the second most competitive U.S. industry out of 2882 U.S. industries designated manufacturers by the U.S. Census Bureau.
| AMAT | ARM | FORM | |
| Capitalization | 347B | 223B | 9.84B |
| EBITDA | 10.2B | 1.11B | 128M |
| Gain YTD | 70.110 | 91.346 | 126.371 |
| P/E Ratio | 41.07 | 246.07 | 145.13 |
| Revenue | 28.2B | 4.67B | 840M |
| Total Cash | 8.51B | 3.54B | 303M |
| Total Debt | 7.19B | 461M | 31.9M |
AMAT | FORM | ||
|---|---|---|---|
OUTLOOK RATING 1..100 | 34 | 89 | |
VALUATION overvalued / fair valued / undervalued 1..100 | 72 Overvalued | 84 Overvalued | |
PROFIT vs RISK RATING 1..100 | 17 | 23 | |
SMR RATING 1..100 | 24 | 80 | |
PRICE GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 6 | 36 | |
P/E GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 12 | 5 | |
SEASONALITY SCORE 1..100 | 50 | 50 |
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.
AMAT's Valuation (72) in the Electronic Production Equipment industry is in the same range as FORM (84). This means that AMAT’s stock grew similarly to FORM’s over the last 12 months.
AMAT's Profit vs Risk Rating (17) in the Electronic Production Equipment industry is in the same range as FORM (23). This means that AMAT’s stock grew similarly to FORM’s over the last 12 months.
AMAT's SMR Rating (24) in the Electronic Production Equipment industry is somewhat better than the same rating for FORM (80). This means that AMAT’s stock grew somewhat faster than FORM’s over the last 12 months.
AMAT's Price Growth Rating (6) in the Electronic Production Equipment industry is in the same range as FORM (36). This means that AMAT’s stock grew similarly to FORM’s over the last 12 months.
FORM's P/E Growth Rating (5) in the Electronic Production Equipment industry is in the same range as AMAT (12). This means that FORM’s stock grew similarly to AMAT’s over the last 12 months.
| AMAT | ARM | FORM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| RSI ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 67% | 3 days ago 90% | 3 days ago 78% |
| Stochastic ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 69% | 3 days ago 82% | 3 days ago 89% |
| Momentum ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 73% | 3 days ago 90% | 3 days ago 77% |
| MACD ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 75% | 3 days ago 86% | 3 days ago 75% |
| TrendWeek ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 75% | 3 days ago 75% | 3 days ago 69% |
| TrendMonth ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 76% | 3 days ago 89% | 3 days ago 70% |
| Advances ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 75% | 4 days ago 87% | 7 days ago 77% |
| Declines ODDS (%) | 20 days ago 65% | 6 days ago 79% | 3 days ago 68% |
| BollingerBands ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 67% | 3 days ago 77% | N/A |
| Aroon ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 75% | 3 days ago 90% | 3 days ago 85% |
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AMAT and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, AMAT has been closely correlated with LRCX. These tickers have moved in lockstep 86% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is a high statistical probability that if AMAT jumps, then LRCX could also see price increases.
| Ticker / NAME | Correlation To AMAT | 1D Price Change % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMAT | 100% | -0.89% | ||
| LRCX - AMAT | 86% Closely correlated | -4.82% | ||
| KLAC - AMAT | 83% Closely correlated | -4.68% | ||
| ASML - AMAT | 75% Closely correlated | -5.22% | ||
| QCOM - AMAT | 75% Closely correlated | +0.70% | ||
| RMBS - AMAT | 75% Closely correlated | -2.61% | ||
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ARM and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, ARM has been closely correlated with LRCX. These tickers have moved in lockstep 74% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is a high statistical probability that if ARM jumps, then LRCX could also see price increases.
| Ticker / NAME | Correlation To ARM | 1D Price Change % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARM | 100% | -8.46% | ||
| LRCX - ARM | 74% Closely correlated | -4.82% | ||
| KLAC - ARM | 74% Closely correlated | -4.68% | ||
| AMAT - ARM | 73% Closely correlated | -0.89% | ||
| FORM - ARM | 73% Closely correlated | -1.34% | ||
| VECO - ARM | 66% Closely correlated | -1.46% | ||
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FORM and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, FORM has been closely correlated with RMBS. These tickers have moved in lockstep 74% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is a high statistical probability that if FORM jumps, then RMBS could also see price increases.
| Ticker / NAME | Correlation To FORM | 1D Price Change % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FORM | 100% | -1.34% | ||
| RMBS - FORM | 74% Closely correlated | -2.61% | ||
| SLAB - FORM | 73% Closely correlated | -0.33% | ||
| ADI - FORM | 72% Closely correlated | -2.18% | ||
| ARM - FORM | 72% Closely correlated | -8.46% | ||
| QCOM - FORM | 72% Closely correlated | +0.70% | ||
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