ASML vs AMAT — which stock performed better?

ASML Holding N.V. (ASML) versus Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT), Information Technology, on 2026-07-17.

Result

ASML Holding N.V. (ASML) performed better on 2026-07-17. ASML moved 0.800%, AMAT moved -4.000%.

Why these two companies

On July 15, 2026, ASML reported second-quarter results and raised its full-year sales forecast for the second time this year on booming AI chip demand — yet its shares fell, reigniting the debate over which semiconductor-equipment 'picks-and-shovels' name is the smarter way to play the AI buildout. Applied Materials, the diversified equipment rival that reports its own quarter in August, is the natural counterpoint to ASML's lithography near-monopoly.

The research

ASML and Applied Materials both make the expensive machines that companies use to build computer chips — so instead of betting on a single chip winner, investing in them is a way to bet on the whole chip industry growing. They are more like teammates in different positions than direct rivals: ASML is the only company in the world that makes the most advanced 'printing' machines for chips, while Applied Materials makes a wider variety of other tools used along the way.

One reason someone might pick ASML: it has a product almost no one else can make, which gives it a powerful and hard-to-copy advantage as demand for AI chips keeps climbing. On July 15 it even raised its sales forecast for the year for the second time.

One reason someone might pick Applied Materials: it is cheaper, more spread out across many parts of chip-making, and Wall Street analysts are strongly positive on it, with most rating it a top pick.

One thing to keep in mind for both: they are tied to the ups and downs of the chip industry and to trade restrictions with China, so their stocks can move sharply on news. Also, ASML just reported earnings and its price fell even after good news — a reminder that a stock's short-term move often depends on what investors already expected, not just whether the news was good.