Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Price Target Raised to $500.00 at Mizuho

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) had its target price lifted by research analysts at Mizuho from $410.00 to $500.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “outperform” rating on the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock. Mizuho’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 15.69% from the stock’s previous close.

AMAT has been the subject of a number of other reports. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $510.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Applied Materials from $454.00 to $502.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $520.00 price target (up from $435.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday. Finally, Summit Insights upgraded Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Twenty-eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $413.59.

Applied Materials Stock Down 1.9%

Shares of NASDAQ AMAT opened at $432.19 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $377.52 and its 200-day moving average price is $318.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a current ratio of 2.71. Applied Materials has a 52-week low of $153.47 and a 52-week high of $448.45. The company has a market capitalization of $342.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.66.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.78% and a return on equity of 37.52%. The company had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.68 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.39 earnings per share. Applied Materials’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Applied Materials will post 11.16 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Applied Materials news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $379.16, for a total value of $202,471.44. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 4,625 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,753,615. This trade represents a 10.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 3,969 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $377.02, for a total value of $1,496,392.38. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 28,589 shares in the company, valued at $10,778,624.78. The trade was a 12.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 12,003 shares of company stock worth $4,484,189. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Financial Freedom LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials in the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 218.8% during the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 102 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, MBM Wealth Consultants LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the first quarter worth approximately $38,000. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials delivered a record quarter, beating Q2 EPS and revenue estimates, and management’s Q3 guidance came in above consensus, reinforcing confidence in AI-driven demand for semiconductor equipment. Reuters: Applied Materials sees upbeat quarterly revenue on sustained AI spending
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts raised price targets after the report, including KeyCorp, Morgan Stanley, Needham, and TD Cowen, signaling growing optimism about Applied Materials’ earnings power and multi-year growth outlook. Benzinga: Applied Materials To Rally Around 25%? Here Are 10 Top Analyst Forecasts For Friday
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary around the results emphasized that AI demand is helping Applied Materials reach its highest margins in 25 years, which supports the bull case for the stock. Benzinga: AI Demand Pushes Applied Materials To Highest Margins In 25 Years
• Neutral Sentiment: The company’s latest results confirmed that AI-related spending is offsetting softer growth in China, so investors are weighing strong semiconductor demand against regional macro and export-risk headwinds. WSJ: Applied Materials Profit, Sales Rise on Demand for Semiconductor Equipment
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the solid fundamentals, Applied Materials and other AI chip names slipped in premarket trading as Treasury yields rose and the market turned cautious, which can temporarily pressure the shares even after strong earnings. Investor’s Business Daily: Stock Market Today

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.