Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Saturday,Wall Street Zen reports.

Several other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $675.00 to $695.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 1st. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $530.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating and set a $700.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, August 14th. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Bank of America reduced their target price on Applied Materials from $720.00 to $650.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $655.72.

Applied Materials Trading Up 0.4%

AMAT stock opened at $486.76 on Friday. Applied Materials has a 1-year low of $202.87 and a 1-year high of $739.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 2.42 and a quick ratio of 1.79. The company has a market capitalization of $386.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.96, a PEG ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.60. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $487.97 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $471.76.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.40 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 $9.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.99 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.48 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 24.8% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials will post 12.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Applied Materials

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 10.5% in the 2nd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 215,839 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $156,051,000 after purchasing an additional 20,447 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 7.1% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,068,335 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $715,458,000 after purchasing an additional 70,642 shares during the period. Andra AP fonden increased its position in shares of Applied Materials by 34.4% during the 2nd quarter. Andra AP fonden now owns 126,229 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $91,264,000 after purchasing an additional 32,340 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Applied Materials by 85.4% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 69,525,842 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $50,267,184,000 after purchasing an additional 32,018,892 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Twin Peaks Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter valued at $12,291,000. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Applied Materials News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street’s average price target implies approximately 34.2% potential upside for Applied Materials. Positive revisions to earnings estimates provide an additional bullish signal, though consensus targets are not always reliable predictors. Wall Street analysts’ Applied Materials price target article
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley retained an “equal weight” rating but still sees its revised $563 target as implying roughly 15.7% upside from the referenced share price. Coverage of the change also points to optimistic revenue expectations, suggesting the target cut reflects valuation or risk adjustments rather than a deterioration in Applied Materials’ operating outlook. Morgan Stanley cuts Applied Materials price target
• Neutral Sentiment: A review of a decade-long investment in Applied Materials highlights the company’s substantial long-term shareholder returns. However, the retrospective does not introduce a new earnings, guidance, or valuation catalyst for the current session. Applied Materials ten-year investment return article
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader semiconductor-equipment sentiment remains tied to the U.S.-China relationship. A recent summit reduced the risk of immediate escalation, but tariffs, technology restrictions, and supply-chain changes remain ongoing risks for Applied Materials and its peers. Chip equipment stocks and U.S.-China summit article
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley lowered its Applied Materials price target from $642 to $563, a 12.3% reduction, signaling less near-term valuation upside and contributing downside pressure despite the remaining upside to the new target. Morgan Stanley Applied Materials forecast article

About Applied Materials

Applied Materials, Inc is a global supplier of equipment, services and software used to manufacture semiconductor chips, flat-panel displays and other advanced electronic products. Its technologies help customers build and enhance materials at the nanoscale, supporting processes such as deposition, etching, inspection, metrology and packaging.

The company’s offerings include semiconductor manufacturing systems, process-control and inspection equipment, and services designed to improve the performance, productivity and longevity of production equipment.