Stifel Nicolaus Lowers Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Price Target to $180.00

Key Points

• Stifel Nicolaus has lowered its price target for Applied Materials from $195.00 to $180.00, suggesting a potential downside of 4.38% from the company’s previous close.
• The stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with a target price of $197.24 based on various analysts’ assessments, indicating mixed sentiment among researchers.
• In its latest quarterly earnings, Applied Materials reported an EPS of $2.48, beating estimates, with a revenue of $7.30 billion—an increase of 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) had its price target decreased by Stifel Nicolaus from $195.00 to $180.00 in a research note released on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. Stifel Nicolaus currently has a buy rating on the manufacturing equipment provider's stock.

Several other equities research analysts also recently commented on the stock. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $185.00 target price (up from $175.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Monday, August 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Applied Materials from $240.00 to $210.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $195.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Citigroup boosted their target price on Applied Materials from $190.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, July 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Applied Materials from $158.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $194.84.

Applied Materials Price Performance

AMAT traded down $1.5060 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $162.0240. The company had a trading volume of 3,959,192 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,393,113. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $184.06 and its 200-day simple moving average is $166.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a current ratio of 2.46. The company has a market capitalization of $130.02 billion, a PE ratio of 19.26, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.70. Applied Materials has a twelve month low of $123.74 and a twelve month high of $215.70.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.48 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.36 by $0.12. Applied Materials had a net margin of 23.88% and a return on equity of 41.31%. The firm had revenue of $7.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.21 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.12 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 1.910-2.310 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Applied Materials will post 9.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 21st. Applied Materials's payout ratio is 21.93%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 562 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.60, for a total transaction of $100,373.20. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 5,300 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $946,580. The trade was a 9.59% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.24% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Applied Materials

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AMAT. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 972.2% during the 1st quarter. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 193 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares during the period. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the first quarter worth approximately $29,000. Maseco LLP acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd raised its stake in Applied Materials by 435.0% during the first quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 214 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the period. Finally, Activest Wealth Management increased its stake in Applied Materials by 5,325.0% during the first quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 217 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 213 shares during the last quarter. 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.