Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Stock Price Up 1.4% – Here’s What Happened

Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) shares were up 1.4% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $344.60 and last traded at $341.34. Approximately 7,180,453 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 7% from the average daily volume of 7,748,520 shares. The stock had previously closed at $336.75.

Key Stories Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho upgraded AMAT from Hold to Outperform and raised its price target to $370, citing expectations for a meaningful WFE (wafer fab equipment) acceleration — a direct analyst endorsement that increases near?term upside visibility. Mizuho upgrade coverage
• Positive Sentiment: KeyBanc and other brokerage notes (also highlighted by Goldman Sachs’ inclusion of AMAT among top semiconductor picks) have lifted price targets (KeyBanc’s jump to $380 noted), reinforcing the narrative of sustained demand for deposition/etch tools. This broad analyst support fuels investor confidence in revenue leverage as capex recovers. Analyst support write-up
• Positive Sentiment: Media/TV bull commentary — including Jim Cramer coverage — frames AMAT as facing a supply shortage and strong secular tailwinds, which can drive momentum trading and retail interest. Jim Cramer / Yahoo coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Market?wide context pieces show AMAT gaining while broader markets dip, suggesting sector/stock?specific buying rather than broad risk?on flows. That dynamic supports an outsized move in the stock versus peers. Market gains coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Roundups and research?call lists (e.g., 24/7 Wall St.) mention AMAT among analyst notes for the day; useful for breadth but less catalytic than primary upgrades. Analyst research calls roundup
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short?interest data in the feed is inconsistent/zeroed out and provides no clear signal; ignore until clarified by an exchange filing.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $350.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $385.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 14th. UBS Group raised shares of Applied Materials from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $250.00 to $285.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $250.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Twenty-four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $298.14.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

The company’s 50-day moving average price is $276.76 and its 200 day moving average price is $225.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $270.66 billion, a PE ratio of 39.32, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.87 and a current ratio of 2.61.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.11 by $0.06. Applied Materials had a net margin of 24.67% and a return on equity of 39.26%. The company had revenue of $6.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.68 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.32 earnings per share. Applied Materials’s revenue was down 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.980-2.380 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be paid a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 19th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.20%.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In related news, SVP Teri A. Little sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.24, for a total value of $952,960.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 84,351 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,095,782.24. This represents a 4.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 609 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.53, for a total value of $155,617.77. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,127,653.89. This represents a 12.13% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 8,609 shares of company stock worth $2,044,898 over the last 90 days. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in AMAT. Marquette Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Applied Materials by 150.0% in the 3rd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the third quarter worth $26,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 48.7% in the fourth quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the second quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the third quarter valued at $31,000. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

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.