Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT – Get Free Report)’s share price rose 2.6% on Friday . The company traded as high as $569.95 and last traded at $567.25. Approximately 8,026,869 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 6% from the average daily volume of 7,547,985 shares. The stock had previously closed at $552.64.
Applied Materials News Summary
Here are the key news stories impacting Applied Materials this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Barclays reiterated an Overweight rating on Applied Materials, saying investment in new chip supply remains strong and supporting the stock’s bullish momentum. Applied Materials and KLA Are Surging. Why You Should Buy the Stocks, Says This Analyst.
- Positive Sentiment: Erste Group Bank raised its earnings estimates for Applied Materials, lifting FY2026 EPS forecast to $12.20 and FY2027 to $16.29, while keeping a Buy rating. Applied Materials estimate revision
- Positive Sentiment: Several recent articles highlighted Applied Materials as a top momentum and AI-beneficiary stock, with commentary pointing to strong May performance, heavy hedge fund ownership, and broad analyst support. Is Applied Materials (AMAT) A Good Stock to Buy Now?
- Positive Sentiment: Investor attention is also being fueled by a recent 52-week-high move and reports of continued rotation into chip equipment stocks, reinforcing the view that AMAT remains a favored AI infrastructure name. Why Did AMAT, AMPG, OSCR Stocks Surge To 52-Week Highs Today?
- Neutral Sentiment: Other coverage today was largely repeated “great momentum stock” and “attracting investor attention” pieces, reflecting strong market interest rather than a new company-specific catalyst. Applied Materials (AMAT) is a Great Momentum Stock: Should You Buy?
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
Several research firms recently commented on AMAT. Wolfe Research boosted their target price on Applied Materials from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $530.00 price objective on Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $390.00 to $520.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Twenty-seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $483.03.
Applied Materials Trading Up 2.6%
The firm has a market capitalization of $450.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.26, a PEG ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a current ratio of 2.51. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $422.95 and a 200-day moving average price of $351.11.
Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The firm’s revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.39 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Applied Materials Dividend Announcement
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be issued a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is presently 19.91%.
Insider Activity at Applied Materials
In other Applied Materials news, CFO Brice Hill sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $498.86, for a total value of $1,247,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 136,113 shares in the company, valued at $67,901,331.18. This represents a 1.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 268 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $434.22, for a total value of $116,370.96. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,280 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,858,461.60. The trade was a 5.89% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 53,896 shares of company stock valued at $27,135,121. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.
Institutional Trading of Applied Materials
Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Financial Freedom LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 218.8% during the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 102 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Finally, MBM Wealth Consultants LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Materials in the 1st quarter valued at $38,000. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
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.
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