Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) was down 5.6% on Friday . The company traded as low as $513.22 and last traded at $529.66. 10,265,738 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 23% from the average daily volume of 8,343,197 shares. The stock had previously closed at $560.93.
More Applied Materials News
Here are the key news stories impacting Applied Materials this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Erste Group Bank raised its FY2026 and FY2027 earnings estimates for Applied Materials and reiterated a Buy rating, signaling confidence in the company’s growth outlook and AI-driven demand. Article link
- Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials CEO comments reinforcing the AI investment thesis may help support longer-term sentiment around the stock. Article link
- Neutral Sentiment: Zacks noted that AMAT has been drawing increased attention from investors, but the piece was mainly a stock-screening update rather than a new fundamental catalyst. Article link
- Neutral Sentiment: Recent commentary suggested Applied Materials may be trading above fair value after a strong multi-year run, which could limit upside even if earnings remain solid. Article link
- Negative Sentiment: A broad semiconductor selloff is pressuring AMAT along with peers like AMD and Intel, as the market rotates out of chip stocks and into other areas. Article link
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Several research firms have commented on AMAT. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $540.00 to $720.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $715.00 to $740.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Seaport Research Partners started coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Monday, May 4th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $500.00 price objective for the company. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $525.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, May 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $593.84.
View Our Latest Report on Applied Materials
Applied Materials Stock Down 5.6%
The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a current ratio of 2.51. The company has a market capitalization of $420.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.73, a P/E/G ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.57. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $531.23 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $412.23.
Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. Applied Materials had a net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. The company had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.68 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.39 EPS. The business'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, sell-side analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.13 EPS for the current year.
Applied Materials Announces Dividend
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be issued a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio is currently 19.91%.
Insider Activity at Applied Materials
In related news, CEO Gary E. Dickerson sold 20,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $735.22, for a total value of $14,704,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,599,843 shares in the company, valued at $1,176,236,570.46. The trade was a 1.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Omkaram Nalamasu sold 24,263 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $593.43, for a total value of $14,398,392.09. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 146,916 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $87,184,361.88. This represents a 14.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 278,088 shares of company stock worth $169,654,805. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Applied Materials
A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AMAT. Evolve Private Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 59.0% during the first quarter. Evolve Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,875 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $983,000 after purchasing an additional 1,067 shares during the period. Worth Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,531,000. World Investment Advisors lifted its position in Applied Materials by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 82,296 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $21,149,000 after buying an additional 3,508 shares in the last quarter. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,082,000. Finally, Baker Chad R boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 76.6% during the 4th quarter. Baker Chad R now owns 16,530 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $4,297,000 after buying an additional 7,170 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.
Applied Materials Company Profile
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Get Free Report)
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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