Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Given New $600.00 Price Target at Sanford C. Bernstein

Key Points

• Sanford C. Bernstein lowered its Applied Materials price target to $600 from $700, while keeping an “outperform” rating; the new target implies 57.5% upside from the share price cited in the report.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive overall: MarketBeat reports a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $618.53, based on 29 Buy and 10 Hold ratings.
• Applied Materials beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, reporting EPS of $4.16 and revenue of $10.41 billion. Its fiscal Q1 2027 outlook calls for EPS of $4.15–$4.55 and revenue of $10.6–$11.6 billion.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) had its price objective dropped by analysts at Sanford C. Bernstein from $700.00 to $600.00 in a research note issued on Friday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an "outperform" rating on the manufacturing equipment provider's stock. Sanford C. Bernstein's price objective would suggest a potential upside of 57.50% from the company's current price.

AMAT has been the subject of several other research reports. Berenberg Bank increased their target price on Applied Materials from $575.00 to $675.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, August 17th. New Street Research lowered their target price on Applied Materials from $580.00 to $525.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 14th. William Blair began coverage on Applied Materials in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. They issued a "market perform" rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Applied Materials from $515.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Mizuho reduced their price objective on Applied Materials from $650.00 to $590.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. Twenty-nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $618.53.

Applied Materials Stock Down 3.6%

Applied Materials stock opened at $380.95 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $302.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.84, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 2.42 and a quick ratio of 1.79. Applied Materials has a fifty-two week low of $203.40 and a fifty-two week high of $739.67. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $439.22 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $445.83.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $4.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.06 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $10.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.30 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 30.05% and a return on equity of 38.02%. 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. As a group, analysts forecast that Applied Materials will post 12.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In related news, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $465.00, for a total transaction of $465,000.00. Following 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 ownership of the stock. 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 dated Tuesday, August 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $479.25, for a total value of $3,594,375.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly 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. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 9,225 shares of company stock worth $4,454,181. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Applied Materials

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

Recent Applied Materials Headlines

Investors following AMAT have been watching these headlines:

• Positive Sentiment: Fiscal Q4 revenue reached a record $10.41 billion, up 53% year over year, while adjusted EPS of $4.16 topped the $4.06 consensus. The company also reported record annual revenue and higher margins. Applied Materials Announces Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2026 Results
• 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

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.

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