Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Given New $470.00 Price Target at Needham & Company LLC

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) had its price objective dropped by analysts at Needham & Company LLC from $580.00 to $470.00 in a research report issued on Friday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock. Needham & Company LLC‘s target price suggests a potential upside of 23.38% from the company’s previous close.

Several other research firms also recently commented on AMAT. Argus set a $600.00 price objective on Applied Materials and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 18th. Summit Insights cut Applied Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday. Mizuho lowered their target price on Applied Materials from $650.00 to $590.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. Zacks Research lowered Applied Materials from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, Berenberg Bank upped their price target on Applied Materials from $575.00 to $675.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 17th. Twenty-nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $618.53.

Applied Materials Trading Down 3.6%

Shares of Applied Materials stock opened at $380.95 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a current ratio of 2.42. The company has a market capitalization of $302.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.84, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.67. Applied Materials has a 1 year low of $203.40 and a 1 year high of $739.67. The company’s fifty day moving average is $439.22 and its two-hundred day moving average is $445.83.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $4.16 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.06 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a net margin of 30.05% and a return on equity of 38.02%. The business had revenue of $10.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.30 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.17 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q1 2027 guidance at 4.150-4.550 EPS. Analysts forecast that Applied Materials will post 12.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $465.00, for a total value of $465,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 25,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,877,960. This trade represents a 3.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $479.25, for a total value of $3,594,375.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 128,613 shares in the company, valued at approximately $61,637,780.25. This trade represents a 5.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 9,225 shares of company stock valued at $4,454,181 in the last three months. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Applied Materials

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter worth about $4,005,000. Caldwell Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,589,000. CX Institutional increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 333.3% during the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 25,853 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $12,631,000 after acquiring an additional 19,886 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 3.0% during the 2nd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,008,591 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $729,211,000 after acquiring an additional 28,982 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 29.6% during the 2nd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 462,685 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $334,521,000 after acquiring an additional 105,776 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials

Here are a few of the latest headlines about AMAT:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 fiscal 2027 guidance was strong: revenue of $10.6 billion–$11.6 billion and EPS of $4.15–$4.55, with the revenue range above analysts’ expectations. Management expects AI-chip demand to support further growth and says Applied Materials could outgrow the wafer-fab equipment market again in 2027. Applied Materials forecasts quarterly revenue above estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Management said customer demand is strong, with some customers seeking earlier deliveries, but component sourcing and clean-room capacity limit how quickly the company can ship. China is expected to represent less than a quarter of shipments in 2027, reducing exposure but leaving export restrictions a consideration. Applied Materials earnings and outlook coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the results, the market’s response has been muted. Broader technology weakness and lingering Nvidia-related concerns may be tempering investor enthusiasm, while recent steep declines in chip-equipment shares have left investors looking for stronger confirmation that the recovery will continue. Applied Materials’ Beat Gets a Lukewarm Reception

About Applied Materials

Applied Materials, Inc. develops and supplies equipment, software and services used to manufacture semiconductors and advanced displays. Its technologies help customers build and process materials at the microscopic scale required for chips and other electronic products. The company’s offerings include systems for depositing, removing and modifying materials, as well as inspection, measurement and process-control tools. It also provides equipment and services for advanced semiconductor packaging and supports customers with maintenance, upgrades and manufacturing software.