Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirty-three analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-seven have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $363.0357.

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $290.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $260.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $430.00 price target on Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, February 13th. B. Riley Financial restated a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 price objective (up previously from $400.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their target price on Applied Materials from $315.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Teri A. Little sold 4,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.24, for a total value of $952,960.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 84,351 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,095,782.24. The trade was a 4.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 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 sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,127,653.89. This represents a 12.13% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 9,609 shares of company stock valued at $2,914,628 over the last 90 days. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Applied Materials

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. IFG Advisory LLC raised its holdings in Applied Materials by 1,008.1% in the 2nd quarter. IFG Advisory LLC now owns 36,156 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $6,619,000 after acquiring an additional 32,893 shares during the period. Grandfield & Dodd LLC grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 6.9% in the third quarter. Grandfield & Dodd LLC now owns 269,511 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $55,180,000 after purchasing an additional 17,397 shares during the last quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 23.0% in the second quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 12,643 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,315,000 after purchasing an additional 2,363 shares during the period. Sienna Gestion lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 10.2% during the 2nd quarter. Sienna Gestion now owns 113,221 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $18,924,000 after purchasing an additional 10,468 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Westfield Capital Management Co. LP boosted its stake in Applied Materials by 13,360.6% during the 2nd quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP now owns 694,431 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $127,129,000 after purchasing an additional 689,272 shares during the period. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AMAT opened at $369.30 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.94, a current ratio of 2.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. Applied Materials has a fifty-two week low of $123.74 and a fifty-two week high of $376.32. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $300.66 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $240.45. The firm has a market cap of $293.12 billion, a PE ratio of 37.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.70.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $0.17. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 37.52% and a net margin of 27.78%.The company had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.88 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.38 EPS. The business’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. Sell-side analysts expect that Applied Materials will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

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

Key Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company fundamentals and guidance — AMAT beat Q1 estimates and management gave aggressive growth guidance (CEO projected ~20% calendar‑2026 sales and strong Q2 revenue outlook), which has driven analyst target‑price increases and renewed optimism among investors. 3 Under-the-Radar Earnings Surprises Could Signal a New Trend (AMAT)
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and estimate revisions — Zacks bumped AMAT to a Strong Buy and published commentary noting upward earnings‑estimate revisions, supporting near‑term upside expectations. Applied Materials (AMAT) Upgraded to Strong Buy: Here’s Why
• Positive Sentiment: Large bullish options activity — unusually big call buying (≈97,138 calls, ~+231% vs. typical daily volume) suggests traders are positioning for further upside or protecting long exposure.
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor events — Applied Materials confirmed management will appear at upcoming investor conferences (opportunity for further detail/Q&A but not an immediate earnings surprise). Applied Materials to Participate in Upcoming Investor Conferences
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst commentary — some publications note conflicting analyst views on AMAT amid sector rotation and valuation debates; this creates variable near‑term sentiment even as fundamentals look strong. Analysts Have Conflicting Sentiments on These Technology Companies
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest data appears unreliable — reports show zero/NaN short interest and a 0.0 days‑to‑cover metric, which is likely a reporting anomaly and not meaningful for positioning today.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider sale — CFO Brice Hill sold 5,000 shares for ~$1.8M, trimming his stake by ~3.5%; while routine insider sales often fund personal liquidity, some investors view insider selling as a mild negative signal. SEC Form 4

Applied Materials Company Profile

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.