Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU) and Nova (NASDAQ:NVMI) Head to Head Comparison

Nova (NASDAQ:NVMI) and Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU) are both large-cap technology companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, risk, valuation, institutional ownership, profitability, analyst recommendations and dividends.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Nova and Micron Technology”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Nova	$1.00 billion	10.82	$259.22 million	$8.82	38.62
Micron Technology	$133.19 billion	6.89	$84.97 billion	$74.21	10.93

Micron Technology has higher revenue and earnings than Nova. Micron Technology is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Nova, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

83.0% of Nova shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 80.8% of Micron Technology shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.0% of Nova shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.2% of Micron Technology shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Profitability

This table compares Nova and Micron Technology’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Nova	29.87%	22.13%	12.78%
Micron Technology	63.80%	92.62%	66.29%

Volatility and Risk

Nova has a beta of 1.85, meaning that its share price is 85% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Micron Technology has a beta of 2.36, meaning that its share price is 136% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current ratings for Nova and Micron Technology, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Nova	0	4	6	0	2.60
Micron Technology	0	4	41	1	2.93

Nova currently has a consensus target price of $470.00, suggesting a potential upside of 37.98%. Micron Technology has a consensus target price of $1,407.88, suggesting a potential upside of 73.53%. Given Micron Technology’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Micron Technology is more favorable than Nova.

Summary

Micron Technology beats Nova on 11 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Nova

Nova Ltd. develops metrology and process-control solutions used in semiconductor manufacturing. Its systems measure the dimensions and material properties of structures on silicon wafers, helping chipmakers monitor and control production processes as devices become smaller and more complex. The company’s offerings include optical and X-ray measurement systems, alongside software that analyzes process data. These tools are used in wafer-fabrication facilities and research and development environments.

About Micron Technology

Micron Technology is a semiconductor company that designs and manufactures memory and storage products. Its portfolio includes dynamic random-access memory (DRAM), NAND flash memory, NOR flash memory, solid-state drives, and other memory solutions used in computing and electronic devices. Micron’s products serve a range of markets, including data centers, personal computers, smartphones, automotive systems, and industrial applications. The company sells its products and solutions to customers around the world.