Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Cantor Fitzgerald Analyst Says

Key Points

• Cantor Fitzgerald raised its price target on Applied Materials from $500 to $550 and kept an overweight rating, implying about 26% upside from the prior close.
• Other analysts have also turned more bullish, with recent upgrades and higher targets from firms including Summit Insights, Mizuho, UBS, and HSBC. The stock now has a Moderate Buy consensus, with 28 Buy ratings versus seven Hold ratings.
• Applied Materials beat last quarter’s earnings and revenue expectations, posting $2.38 EPS on $7.01 billion in revenue, while management guided Q2 2026 EPS to $2.44-$2.84. Shares were trading near their 52-week high at $435.18.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) had its price objective increased by analysts at Cantor Fitzgerald from $500.00 to $550.00 in a research note issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an "overweight" rating on the manufacturing equipment provider's stock. Cantor Fitzgerald's price target suggests a potential upside of 26.38% from the stock's previous close.

AMAT has been the topic of a number of other reports. Summit Insights upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $370.00 to $410.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. UBS Group boosted their price target on Applied Materials from $430.00 to $480.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. HSBC began coverage on Applied Materials in a research note on Friday. They issued a "buy" rating and a $517.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $430.00 target price on Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Twenty-eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $378.66.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

AMAT stock opened at $435.18 on Monday. Applied Materials has a twelve month low of $153.47 and a twelve month high of $438.04. The firm has a market cap of $345.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.54, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.66. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $371.10 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $311.19. The company has a quick ratio of 1.94, a current ratio of 2.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.88 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.78% and a return on equity of 37.52%. The business's revenue was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.38 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. Analysts predict that Applied Materials will post 11.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Judy Bruner sold 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $391.71, for a total value of $979,275.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 26,089 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,219,322.19. This trade represents a 8.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $361.21, for a total value of $1,806,050.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 138,565 shares in the company, valued at approximately $50,051,063.65. This trade represents a 3.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 12,003 shares of company stock worth $4,484,189. Insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Applied Materials

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Financial Freedom LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the first quarter worth about $28,000. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Applied Materials by 218.8% in the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 102 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the period. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Finally, MBM Wealth Consultants LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Materials in the 1st quarter worth approximately $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

About Applied Materials

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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