Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Trading 15% Higher – Time to Buy?

Posted by Brian Himes on Jul 30th, 2026

Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT – Get Free Report) shares rose 15% on Thursday . The company traded as high as $508.54 and last traded at $501.77. 12,011,086 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 44% from the average daily volume of 8,316,559 shares. The stock had previously closed at $436.45.

Trending Headlines about Applied Materials

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

Positive Sentiment: Strong chip-sector rally: Technology was the market’s strongest-performing sector, with semiconductor stocks among the leaders. The rebound supports demand expectations for wafer-fabrication equipment and helped lift Applied Materials. Chip Stocks Boost Tech-Led Rebound Rally at Software’s Expense
Positive Sentiment: AI infrastructure optimism remains supportive: Bullish comments from NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang about the scale of AI-infrastructure expansion reinforce expectations for continued semiconductor capital spending, potentially benefiting equipment suppliers such as AMAT. Can Nvidia Reclaim $5 Trillion? Jensen Huang’s Bullish AI Call Says Yes
Neutral Sentiment: Investor attention is elevated: Applied Materials has been among the most heavily searched stocks, which may increase trading interest but does not itself indicate a change in the company’s fundamentals. Investors Heavily Search Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT)
Negative Sentiment: Sector risks remain: Recent semiconductor selling reflected concerns about intensifying Chinese competition and whether AI-related demand and spending can remain durable. Weakness at peer KLA, where analysts questioned growth despite upbeat guidance, also highlights valuation and equipment-demand risks for AMAT. Semiconductor Stocks Trade Down Amid Global Sell-Off

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on AMAT. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $390.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Wolfe Research increased their price target on Applied Materials from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Wall Street Zen raised Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Applied Materials from $530.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $575.00 target price on Applied Materials in a report on Thursday, May 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $599.19.

Read Our Latest Stock Report on AMAT

Applied Materials Trading Up 15.0%

The company has a market cap of $398.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.11, a PEG ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.57. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $547.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $428.02. The company has a quick ratio of 1.80, a current ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The firm had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.68 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.39 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.14 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is currently 19.91%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Applied Materials news, Director Thomas J. Iannotti sold 9,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $599.77, for a total transaction of $5,547,872.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 40,559 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,326,071.43. This trade represents a 18.57% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Timothy M. Deane sold 8,621 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $590.76, for a total transaction of $5,092,941.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 134,631 shares in the company, valued at $79,534,609.56. This trade represents a 6.02% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 278,088 shares of company stock valued at $169,654,805 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Applied Materials

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 28.0% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,674 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,061,000 after purchasing an additional 2,771 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 26.7% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,225 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $590,000 after buying an additional 679 shares during the period. Forefront Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $410,000. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 30.1% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 15,003 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,747,000 after buying an additional 3,469 shares during the period. Finally, Sei Investments Co. grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 59.3% during the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 422,694 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $77,383,000 after buying an additional 157,426 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

About Applied Materials

(Get Free Report)

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.