Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Receives "Neutral" Rating from Daiwa Capital Markets

Key Points

• Daiwa Capital Markets has restated its "neutral" rating for Applied Materials (AMAT) and adjusted its price target down from $185.00 to $170.00, indicating a 4.80% upside potential from the current stock price.
• Seventeen analysts rate Applied Materials as a Buy, while eleven give a Hold rating and one analyst has issued a Sell rating, contributing to an average rating of "Moderate Buy".
• Applied Materials reported earnings of $2.48 per share for the last quarter, exceeding consensus estimates, with revenue rising 7.7% year-over-year to $7.30 billion.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "neutral" rating restated by analysts at Daiwa Capital Markets in a report released on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $170.00 price objective on the manufacturing equipment provider's stock, down from their prior price objective of $185.00. Daiwa Capital Markets' price target indicates a potential upside of 4.80% from the company's current price.

AMAT has been the topic of several other reports. Raymond James Financial restated an "outperform" rating and set a $200.00 price objective (down from $225.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, May 16th. Summit Insights downgraded Applied Materials from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, August 15th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Applied Materials from $169.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Wolfe Research dropped their target price on Applied Materials from $230.00 to $200.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Finally, Evercore ISI reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $209.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $193.88.

Applied Materials Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of AMAT stock opened at $162.22 on Wednesday. Applied Materials has a 1 year low of $123.74 and a 1 year high of $215.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 2.46 and a quick ratio of 1.76. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $183.83 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $166.39. The company has a market cap of $130.18 billion, a PE ratio of 19.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.70.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 41.31% and a net margin of 23.88%.The firm had revenue of $7.30 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.21 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.12 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 1.910-2.310 EPS. Research analysts predict that Applied Materials will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 562 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.60, for a total value of $100,373.20. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 5,300 shares of the company's stock, valued at $946,580. This trade represents a 9.59% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.24% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Applied Materials

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in AMAT. Maseco LLP acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth about $31,000. Howard Hughes Medical Institute acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth about $32,000. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Applied Materials by 972.2% during the 1st quarter. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 193 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares during the period. Finally, Kilter Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at about $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company's stock.

About Applied Materials

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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