Short Interest in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Declines By 14.6%

Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest in the month of January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 13,733,468 shares, a decrease of 14.6% from the January 15th total of 16,088,927 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 7,828,801 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.8 days. Currently, 1.7% of the company’s shares are sold short. Currently, 1.7% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 7,828,801 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.8 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AMAT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Bank of America raised their target price on Applied Materials from $300.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Applied Materials from $310.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $430.00 price objective on Applied Materials in a research report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Applied Materials from $350.00 to $435.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $450.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday. Twenty-eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $361.03.

Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials

Here are the key news stories impacting Applied Materials this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Earnings beat and bullish market reaction — AMAT pushed to a new one‑year high after reporting quarterly results that topped estimates and prompted buying interest. Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Hits New 1-Year High After Earnings Beat
• Positive Sentiment: Major analyst price-target increases — Cantor Fitzgerald raised its target to $470 (from $425), signaling higher modelled upside and boosting investor confidence. Applied Materials price target raised to $470 from $425 at Cantor Fitzgerald
• Positive Sentiment: Additional target raises — Needham and other outlets posted higher targets (e.g., Needham to $440), reinforcing the analyst momentum behind the stock. Applied Materials price target raised to $440 from $390 at Needham
• Positive Sentiment: Upgrades and buy reiterations — Several firms upgraded or reiterated buy calls (Summit Insights upgrade; B. Riley reiterated buy; RBC added a buy), adding analyst support to the rally. Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Upgraded at Summit Insights Applied Materials’ (AMAT) Buy Rating Reiterated at B. Riley Securities Applied Materials (AMAT) Gets a Buy from RBC Capital
• Positive Sentiment: Regulatory/strategic clarity — Reports say AMAT cleared a U.S. probe and a refocused Samsung EPIC partnership, which reduces regulatory overhang and supports growth prospects. Applied Materials Clears US Probe As Samsung EPIC Partnership Refocuses Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Sector and thematic support — Industry pieces highlight AMAT as a key play on memory and AI-related capex, drawing thematic investor interest into memory/equipment names. Applied Materials Shows Why Memory Stocks Are the Next Big AI Buying Opportunity
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed chip‑sector context — Coverage notes the semiconductor group is mixed (AMAT and TSMC up, NVDA and Intel down); AMAT’s strength may reflect stock‑specific drivers more than broad sector momentum. Chip Stocks Split: AMAT and TSMC Gain While NVDA and Intel Retreat
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data appears erroneous — a February short‑interest entry shows zeros/NaN and provides no actionable signal; treat as unreliable until corrected.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, SVP Teri A. Little sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.24, for a total transaction of $952,960.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 84,351 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,095,782.24. This represents a 4.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 609 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.53, for a total transaction of $155,617.77. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 4,413 shares in the company, valued at $1,127,653.89. The trade was a 12.13% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 8,609 shares of company stock worth $2,044,898 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AMAT. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp boosted its holdings in Applied Materials by 45.2% in the fourth quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp now owns 66,992 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $17,216,000 after acquiring an additional 20,866 shares in the last quarter. Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA now owns 1,695 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $436,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Twin City Private Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Twin City Private Wealth LLC now owns 9,245 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,376,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Tenzing Financial LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth about $222,000. Finally, Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC boosted its stake in Applied Materials by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 142,520 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $36,626,000 after purchasing an additional 2,829 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Stock Up 8.1%

NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $354.91 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $296.94 and its 200-day moving average price is $238.28. The company has a market capitalization of $281.70 billion, a PE ratio of 36.33, a P/E/G ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 1.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 2.71 and a quick ratio of 1.94. Applied Materials has a 1-year low of $123.74 and a 1-year high of $376.32.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.17. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.78% and a return on equity of 37.52%. The company had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.88 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.38 EPS. Applied Materials’s revenue was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Applied Materials will post 9.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 19th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.83%.

About Applied Materials

Applied Materials, Inc is a U.S.-based supplier of equipment, services and software used to manufacture semiconductor chips, flat panel displays and other advanced materials. Headquartered in Santa Clara, California, the company designs and sells capital equipment and related technologies that enable production of integrated circuits, display panels and materials used across the electronics supply chain.

Applied Materials’ offerings include process equipment and factory software that support critical steps in device fabrication, such as deposition, etch, implantation, inspection and metrology, as well as systems for packaging and advanced heterogeneous integration.