Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Reaches New 12-Month High - Here's Why

Key Points

• Applied Materials' stock reached a **52-week high** of **$216.94**, reflecting significant trading activity with over **6.4 million shares** exchanged.
• Despite recent downgrades from several brokerage firms, **analysts remain generally positive**, with 17 rating the stock as a **Buy**, and its average price target is currently **$194.15**.
• The company announced a **quarterly dividend** of **$0.46**, which will be paid on **December 11th**, representing an annual yield of **0.8%**.

Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report)'s stock price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $216.14 and last traded at $216.94, with a volume of 6404555 shares. The stock had previously closed at $204.74.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on AMAT. Rothschild & Co Redburn downgraded Applied Materials from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $200.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Monday, July 7th. Daiwa America downgraded Applied Materials from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. Summit Insights downgraded Applied Materials from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, August 15th. KeyCorp raised their target price on Applied Materials from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 23rd. Finally, Cfra Research raised Applied Materials to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, August 15th. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $194.15.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average price of $177.54 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $168.06. The company has a current ratio of 2.50, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $173.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 1.77.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.48 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.36 by $0.12. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 40.96% and a net margin of 23.88%.The firm had revenue of $7.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.21 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.12 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 1.910-2.310 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 20th will be given a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 20th. Applied Materials's payout ratio is presently 21.93%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Applied Materials

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Praxis Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Applied Materials by 35.3% during the 3rd quarter. Praxis Investment Management Inc. now owns 30,859 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $6,318,000 after purchasing an additional 8,043 shares during the last quarter. Cullen Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Applied Materials by 2.7% during the 2nd quarter. Cullen Capital Management LLC now owns 20,163 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $3,691,000 after purchasing an additional 528 shares during the last quarter. National Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter valued at about $254,000. Caldwell Trust Co acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,434,000. Finally, Valeo Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Applied Materials by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 8,829 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $1,616,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Company Profile

Applied Materials, Inc engages in the provision of manufacturing equipment, services, and software to the semiconductor, display, and related industries. The company operates through three segments: Semiconductor Systems, Applied Global Services, and Display and Adjacent Markets. The Semiconductor Systems segment develops, manufactures, and sells various manufacturing equipment that is used to fabricate semiconductor chips or integrated circuits.

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