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

Key Points

• Argus raised its price target on Applied Materials from $420 to $500 and reiterated a buy rating, implying about 25.5% upside from the stock’s current price.
• Other analysts are also bullish, with multiple firms raising targets to $500 or higher; the stock now has 27 Buy ratings versus 8 Hold ratings and an average target of $465.14.
• Applied Materials posted solid quarterly results, beating earnings and revenue estimates with EPS of $2.86 on revenue of $7.91 billion, while also guiding Q3 2026 EPS to a range of $3.16 to $3.56.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) had its target price increased by equities researchers at Argus from $420.00 to $500.00 in a research report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a "buy" rating on the manufacturing equipment provider's stock. Argus' target price points to a potential upside of 25.52% from the stock's current price.

A number of other analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $410.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday. Seaport Research Partners began coverage on Applied Materials in a research report on Monday, May 4th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $500.00 target price for the company. B. Riley Financial increased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $530.00 to $550.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday. Summit Insights raised shares of Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $480.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. Twenty-seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $465.14.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT traded down $15.23 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $398.34. 1,178,038 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,311,644. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $380.43 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $321.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $316.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.66. The company has a quick ratio of 1.80, a current ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. Applied Materials has a 12 month low of $153.47 and a 12 month high of $448.45.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The business had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.68 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.39 EPS. The firm's revenue 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. On average, equities analysts expect that Applied Materials will post 11.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Judy Bruner sold 2,500 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $391.71, for a total value of $979,275.00. Following the sale, the director owned 26,089 shares in the company, valued at $10,219,322.19. The trade was a 8.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $379.16, for a total transaction of $202,471.44. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,625 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,753,615. The trade was a 10.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 7,003 shares of company stock valued at $2,678,139 in the last ninety days. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Applied Materials

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of AMAT. Capital Research Global Investors grew its stake in Applied Materials by 119.8% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 32,707,049 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $8,405,458,000 after purchasing an additional 17,829,377 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at $2,858,543,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 617.2% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 9,129,483 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $1,869,170,000 after buying an additional 7,856,576 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 40.1% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 12,520,114 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $2,563,376,000 after buying an additional 3,583,751 shares during the period. Finally, Auto Owners Insurance Co increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 25,824.4% in the 4th quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 3,370,167 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $86,610,000 after acquiring an additional 3,357,167 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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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