Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Stock Price Up 5.7% – Here’s What Happened

Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)’s stock price traded up 5.7% on Thursday . The company traded as high as $331.00 and last traded at $319.08. 11,217,008 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 44% from the average session volume of 7,777,954 shares. The stock had previously closed at $301.89.

More Applied Materials News

Here are the key news stories impacting Applied Materials this week:

• Positive Sentiment: TSMC’s earnings beat and 35% profit growth lifted confidence in broad semiconductor demand, boosting equipment makers like Applied Materials as customers accelerate capex. Chip stocks pop after TSMC’s earnings beat boosts confidence in industrywide demand
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays upgraded AMAT citing increased AI-related spending by chipmakers, a catalyst for stronger equipment orders and higher revenue visibility. Applied Materials surges after Barclays upgrade stock on AI spending
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple Wall Street firms raised ratings/targets (Stifel, RBC, others highlighted by Blockonomi), signaling renewed analyst confidence and contributing to the rally. Applied Materials (AMAT) Stock: Wall Street Upgrades Signal Confidence in Chip Equipment Leader
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage roundups show broad analyst optimism (23 analysts surveyed), which supports momentum and reduces downside risk from mixed short-term data. A Glimpse Into The Expert Outlook On Applied Materials Through 23 Analysts
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks notes AMAT’s FY25 HBM revenue reached $1.5B and the company aims to double that to $3B using hybrid-bonding leadership and the Kinex tool — a clear medium-term growth driver. Applied Materials FY25 HBM Revenues Hit $1.5B: A New Growth Driver?
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks and other education pieces highlight AMAT’s growth profile and favorable style scores, reinforcing buy-side interest for longer-term portfolios. Here’s Why Applied Materials (AMAT) is a Strong Growth Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Media coverage (Barron’s, MSN, Investing) points to AMAT benefiting directly from TSMC’s heavy spending plans, framing Applied as a primary beneficiary of renewed fab investment. ASML, Lam Research, Applied Materials Surge. Why Chip Stocks Are Getting a Boost.
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America and other forecasts cited by coverage expect significant upside for AMAT shares, supporting the positive analyst momentum. Bank of America Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Stock

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AMAT has been the subject of several analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $310.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, January 9th. Evercore ISI reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $290.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on Applied Materials in a research report on Wednesday. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $385.00 target price for the company. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Applied Materials from $250.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their price objective on Applied Materials from $240.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Twenty-three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $278.86.

Applied Materials Stock Up 5.7%

The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $257.75 and its 200 day moving average price is $216.05. The company has a current ratio of 2.61, a quick ratio of 1.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock has a market cap of $253.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 1.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.11 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $6.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.68 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 24.67% and a return on equity of 39.26%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.32 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.980-2.380 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be paid a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 19th. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is 21.20%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Teri A. Little sold 4,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.24, for a total value of $952,960.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 84,351 shares in the company, valued at $20,095,782.24. The trade was a 4.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 609 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.53, for a total transaction of $155,617.77. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,413 shares in the company, valued at $1,127,653.89. The trade was a 12.13% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 8,609 shares of company stock worth $2,044,898. Insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Applied Materials

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in Applied Materials by 28.0% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,674 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,061,000 after acquiring an additional 2,771 shares in the last quarter. Apella Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the second quarter worth $202,000. NBC Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 3.4% during the second quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 5,188 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $949,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. Range Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 6.6% during the second quarter. Range Financial Group LLC now owns 1,982 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $363,000 after buying an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 17,142 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $3,138,000 after buying an additional 233 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Company Profile

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.