Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Upgraded to “Outperform” at Mizuho

Mizuho upgraded shares of Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) from a hold rating to an outperform rating in a research report released on Tuesday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. They currently have $370.00 target price on the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock, up from their prior target price of $275.00.

AMAT has been the subject of several other research reports. Citigroup raised their target price on Applied Materials from $205.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 14th. UBS Group raised shares of Applied Materials from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the company from $250.00 to $285.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Thursday, December 4th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Applied Materials from $290.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $275.00 to $390.00 in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Twenty-four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $298.14.

Applied Materials Stock Down 0.8%

Applied Materials stock traded down $2.74 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $334.01. 1,062,913 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,396,129. Applied Materials has a 52-week low of $123.74 and a 52-week high of $344.60. The company has a quick ratio of 1.87, a current ratio of 2.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $276.76 and its 200-day moving average price is $225.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $264.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.67.

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

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 609 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.53, for a total transaction of $155,617.77. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,413 shares in the company, valued at $1,127,653.89. This represents a 12.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Teri A. Little sold 4,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 84,351 shares in the company, valued at $20,095,782.24. This trade represents a 4.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 8,609 shares of company stock valued at $2,044,898. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Applied Materials

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AMAT. Klingman & Associates LLC lifted its position in Applied Materials by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Klingman & Associates LLC now owns 10,392 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,671,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares during the period. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,435 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $626,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Alliance Advisory Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth approximately $232,000. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 116.4% in the 4th quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 23,300 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $5,988,000 after buying an additional 12,534 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Generali Investments Management Co LLC increased its position in Applied Materials by 132.8% during the 4th quarter. Generali Investments Management Co LLC now owns 22,789 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $5,857,000 after buying an additional 13,001 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho upgraded AMAT to “Outperform” and lifted its price target to $370 (from $275), citing a significant acceleration in WFE that should drive equipment orders. Mizuho upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: KeyBanc raised its price target to $380 and kept an Overweight rating; Goldman Sachs named AMAT a top semiconductor pick—both calls reinforce investor confidence in AMAT’s exposure to rising deposition/etch intensity and diversified supplier position. Analyst support piece
• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer highlighted AMAT as facing a “shortage that can’t be met,” a bullish demand signal for the company’s equipment revenue outlook and a likely catalyst for momentum. Jim Cramer article
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple outlets argue AMAT is positioned to “dominate” in 2026 based on strong financial prospects and secular semiconductor cycle tailwinds, supporting higher analyst targets and investor demand. Analyst outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Market-movement coverage notes AMAT gained while broader markets dipped — this reflects sector/market dynamics as much as company-specific news. Market dip coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Roundups of analyst research calls and increased media interest (search/activity) emphasize attention on AMAT but are informational rather than new fundamental data. Analyst calls roundup
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short-interest figures in recent data look anomalous (showing zeros/NaN); this appears to be a reporting/data error and is not a reliable signal of rising bearish positioning. Short interest / coverage

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.