Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Receives $294.75 Consensus PT from Analysts

Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirty-three brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $298.1429.

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. DZ Bank upgraded Applied Materials from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 14th. Evercore ISI reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $290.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Applied Materials from $250.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Needham & Company LLC increased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $260.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Applied Materials from $260.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th.

Applied Materials Stock Up 4.1%

Shares of NASDAQ AMAT opened at $332.71 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $263.82 billion, a PE ratio of 38.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.67. Applied Materials has a 52-week low of $123.74 and a 52-week high of $336.47. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $274.73 and a 200 day moving average price of $224.57. The company has a quick ratio of 1.87, a current ratio of 2.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

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

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, SVP Teri A. Little sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.24, for a total value of $952,960.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 84,351 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,095,782.24. This trade represents a 4.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 609 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.53, for a total value of $155,617.77. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 4,413 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,127,653.89. This represents a 12.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 8,609 shares of company stock valued at $2,044,898 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Applied Materials

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Marquette Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Applied Materials by 150.0% in the third quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 48.7% during the 4th quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the period. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. bought a new stake in Applied Materials during the second quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.