Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Raised to Hold at DZ Bank

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) was upgraded by research analysts at DZ Bank to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other brokerages have also recently issued reports on AMAT. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Applied Materials from $350.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $470.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $300.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. KGI Securities upgraded shares of Applied Materials to an “outperform” rating and set a $425.00 price target for the company in a report 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 report on Friday. Twenty-seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued 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 a consensus target price of $363.04.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of AMAT opened at $359.13 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $285.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 1.70. The company’s fifty day moving average is $298.78 and its 200-day moving average is $239.54. 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 12 month low of $123.74 and a 12 month high of $376.32.

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

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In other news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 609 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Teri A. Little sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 84,351 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,095,782.24. The trade was a 4.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Applied Materials

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 28.0% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,674 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,061,000 after acquiring an additional 2,771 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in Applied Materials by 26.7% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,225 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $590,000 after purchasing an additional 679 shares during the period. Forefront Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the second quarter worth $410,000. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 30.1% in the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 15,003 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,747,000 after buying an additional 3,469 shares during the period. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. increased its position in shares of Applied Materials by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 6,174 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,130,000 after buying an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 / fiscal Q1 beat and strong forward commentary: AMAT topped EPS and revenue expectations and management gave upbeat revenue guidance (CEO projected ~20% calendar?year sales growth), which sparked significant analyst upgrades and helped drive recent gains. 3 Under-the-Radar Earnings Surprises Could Signal a New Trend (AMAT)
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raising targets and reaffirming AMAT’s positioning: TD Cowen and others have lifted price targets (one cited $450), reflecting confidence AMAT will capture AI?driven WFE demand. This analyst momentum supports higher valuations. Applied Materials (AMAT) Seen Winning Whether WFE Growth Is Market- or Share-Driven
• Positive Sentiment: Broader positive narrative and sector leadership: Coverage (Forbes, MarketBeat) calls AMAT a top play in the semiconductor equipment “giga?cycle,” highlighting strong share performance and investor interest tied to AI/memory spending. Is Applied Materials The New Sector King?
• Positive Sentiment: Management visibility: AMAT announced participation in upcoming investor conferences (fireside chats), increasing opportunities for management to reinforce guidance and strategy to investors. Applied Materials to Participate in Upcoming Investor Conferences
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst action with limited uplift: DZ Bank upgraded AMAT to a “hold” — a mild positive signal but not a strong buy endorsement. Zacks.com
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector noise and stock dispersion: Coverage notes chip stocks are splitting (some winners, some laggards); AMAT is on the winning side this week but sector volatility remains a factor. Chip Stocks Split: AMAT and TSMC Gain While NVDA and Intel Retreat
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data appears anomalous: recent reports show “0 shares” and NaN changes — likely a reporting glitch, so no clear short?squeeze signal from those figures.
• Negative Sentiment: Fundamentals and valuation watch: while EPS and margins are strong, quarterly revenue was slightly down year?over?year and the stock is trading at a elevated multiple (P/E ~37), leaving some investors cautious about downside if cycle expectations cool. Looking At The Narrative For Applied Materials AMAT As Analyst Views Reset

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.