Is Applied Materials A Good Quality Stock to Buy Now?

We recently compiled the list of the 13 Best Quality Stocks To Buy according to the hedge funds using the latest sentiment data. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) stands against the other quality stocks.

Investing in 2024 is significantly different from investing in the 1950s and onward. This is because these days investors have to. sift through thousands of stocks and countless data points and signals to separate the wheat from the chaff and make the right investment decisions. Amidst this hubris, the ability to pick out 'quality' stocks becomes important, and there's quite a lot of financial literature available that helps determine what such stocks are.

Typically, stock analysis involves analyzing a firm's financial statements to determine profitability, operating strengths, cost control, asset utilization, and other metrics. Some of these are also present in financial literature that discusses quality stocks. One such research paper comes courtesy of researchers associated with Research Affiliates. They point out that metrics that typically define a quality stock include earnings stability, capital structure, profitability, accounting practices, and investing strategies. Within these, the quality factors that were also related to returns were investment strategies, dividend payouts, profitability, and accounting strategies.

The next thing to ask is, whether quality stocks are any different from standard run of the mill stocks when it comes to share price performance. For context, the last 12 months on the stock market have been dominated by a few key themes. These are artificial intelligence, inflation, interest rates, and GDP growth. Higher rates and inflation are bearish stock indicators, while growth and AI have proven to have kept the market buoyant at a time when rates are at two decade high levels. So, over the past year, exchange traded funds that track quality stocks have appreciated by 12% to 27%, the midpoint of which is slightly lower than the S&P 500's 23% price appreciation over the same time period. However, picking the right quality stocks appears to have its advantages as well, since the high end of the performance, i.e. 27%, is far higher than what the index has delivered.

ETFs and research aren't the only ones that talk about quality stocks. One hedge fund that's become quite well known for its focus on quality stocks is Cliff Asness’ AQR Capital Management. One of the largest hedge funds in the world, AQR had a 13F investment portfolio worth $58 billion as of Q1 2024 end according to Insider Monkey's research. Close to a quarter of its portfolio is invested in the technology industry, and the second biggest category is services stocks. AQR focuses on stocks that follow its strategy of Quality Minus Junk or QMJ. According to its founder Cliff Asness, a quality stock is defined by its shareholder payouts, growth, profitability, and sound financial and general management. We recently took a look at some top AQR Capital management stocks and you can check them out by looking at 13 Best Stocks To Buy Now According To Billionaire Cliff Asness.

Before we head to our list of the best quality stocks, a general overview of the stock market is relevant. Right now, investors are wondering when the first interest rate cuts might occur. The latest bit on this front came in the form of the Personal Consumption Expenditure (PCE) data from the Commerce Department. This data set revealed that the 12 month inflation in the US stood at 2.7% in April 2024, which was still higher than the Fed's preferred rate of 2%. Additionally, the data also provided investors with some bearish signals. These were apparent in the readings for consumer spending, which slowed down to 2% in the first quarter of 2024 over the robust 3.3% reading in Q4 2023.

Lower spending means less money sloshing in the economy, and while this might help reduce prices, it can also affect business performance, economic growth, and naturally, stock market performance. Data from the CME Fed Watch Tool shows that 47% of all investors polled expect a 25 basis point rate cut in September, while an additional 7.5% believe that the Fed might get generous and cut rates by as much as 50 basis points.

With these details in mind, let's take a look at some top quality stocks that hedge funds are buying.

A technician in a clean room assembling a semiconductor chip using a microscope.

Methodology

To make our list of the best quality stocks to buy, we ranked the 30 largest constituents of a quality stock ETF and picked out those with the highest number of hedge fund investors in Q1 2024. By the way, Insider Monkey is an investing website that tracks the movements of corporate insiders and hedge funds. The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).

13. Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Number of Hedge Fund Shareholders In Q1 2024: 79

Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) is a semiconductor manufacturing equipment firm headquartered in Santa Clara, California. The firm's shares are up by a strong 59% over the past twelve months since it is a key player in the chip industry that is seeing AI related tailwinds. On the earnings front, adjusted EPS has beaten analyst estimates in all four latest quarters, and Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) is a dividend paying stock with a 40 cent quarterly dividend and a 0.74% yield.

As of Q1 2024, 79 hedge funds part of Insider Monkey's database were Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)'s stakeholders. David Blood and Al Gore's Generation Investment Management held the largest stake which was worth $1 billion.

Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)'s valuation is more down to earth though since its forward P/E ratio is 25.77 which is slightly higher than the S&P 500's 21. Its revenue has grown by 54% over the past four years, and the stock has appreciated by 251% during the same time period as investors target its potential to utilize AI demand. Recently AMAT made our list of the 10 Best Performing Dividend Stocks in 2024. Here is what we said about the stock:

"In its fiscal Q2 2024, Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) reported revenue of $6.6 billion, which remained unchanged from the same period last year. However, the revenue beat analysts’ estimates by $110 million. Its net income for the period jumped by 9% year-over-year to $1.7 billion.

Examining the company’s cash position in relation to its dividend strategy revealed that it holds a sufficient amount of cash on its balance sheet. In the most recent quarter, Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) generated nearly $1.4 billion in operating cash flow and its free cash flow came in at over $1.1 billion. During the quarter, the company returned $1.09 billion to shareholders, including $266 million in dividends. In addition to this, Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) ended the quarter with over $7 billion available in cash and cash equivalents."

We aren't too bullish on AMAT right now because of the legal risks it is facing. The US Department of Commerce is continuing its investigation into Applied Materials Inc.’s shipments to Chinese customers to enforce strict trade restrictions aimed at preventing China from acquiring advanced chipmaking capabilities, which the US views as a national security threat. Applied Materials disclosed that it received subpoenas in May from the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security, following earlier subpoenas in November. The company is cooperating fully but acknowledges uncertainties about the investigation's outcome or potential penalties. Additionally, Applied Materials has faced inquiries from the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts since 2022 and the SEC earlier this year. As the largest US maker of chip-manufacturing equipment, Applied Materials was significantly impacted by the initial export restrictions but continues to rely on China, which accounts for about a quarter of its revenue, with Chinese businesses increasingly investing in older chipmaking equipment.

Overall, AMAT ranks 13th among the 13 Best Quality Stocks To Buy now. You can visit 13 Best Quality Stocks To Buy to see the other quality stocks that are on the hedge fund radar. While we acknowledge the potential of quality stocks, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than AMAT but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.

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Disclosure: None. The article is originally published at Insider Monkey.