Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT – Get Free Report) traded down 1.8% during mid-day trading on Wednesday. The stock traded as low as $514.01 and last traded at $520.65. Approximately 3,736,668 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 53% from the average session volume of 7,896,752 shares. The stock had previously closed at $530.27.
More Applied Materials News
Here are the key news stories impacting Applied Materials this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials and Intel announced expanded collaboration on next-generation transistors, interconnects and advanced packaging for AI chips. Work at Applied’s EPIC Center and Intel’s Oregon R&D campus could strengthen AMAT’s role in advanced chip manufacturing and create longer-term equipment demand. Applied Materials and Intel Collaborate to Accelerate Chipmaking Innovations for AI-Driven Computing
- Positive Sentiment: Recent partnerships involving KIOXIA and BE Semiconductor Industries are expanding AMAT’s exposure to advanced memory, packaging and interconnect technologies—areas expected to benefit from rising AI-chip complexity. Applied Materials AI Chip Memory and Packaging Partnerships
- Positive Sentiment: Analyst and industry commentary remains constructive: AI-driven wafer-fabrication-equipment demand, dependable earnings, growth in Applied Global Services and capacity expansion are cited as potential catalysts. The company recently exceeded quarterly EPS and revenue expectations, with revenue up 24.8% year over year. 4 Top Chip Stocks With Dependable Earnings to Ride the AI Boom
- Neutral Sentiment: AMAT has substantially outperformed the broader market over the past year, but bullish theses acknowledge that investors must justify the stock’s premium valuation relative to peers such as Lam Research and KLA. Applied Materials vs. LRCX and KLAC
- Negative Sentiment: Comparisons with NVIDIA highlight a potential growth concern: NVIDIA has generated substantially higher revenue and free cash flow, while Applied Materials’ revenue growth has been more uneven. This may be contributing to profit-taking after AMAT’s strong run. Applied Materials vs. Nvidia Revenue Trends
- Negative Sentiment: Chief Accounting Officer Adam Sanders sold 725 shares to cover tax withholding on vested equity awards. The relatively small, tax-related transaction is a limited negative signal but could add to short-term investor caution. Applied Materials CAO Stock Sale
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several research firms have recently commented on AMAT. Barclays boosted their price target on Applied Materials from $500.00 to $590.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $700.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, August 14th. B. Riley Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $700.00 target price (down from $790.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, August 14th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $530.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, HSBC lowered their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $683.00 to $641.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $640.20.
Applied Materials Price Performance
The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $487.06 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $479.42. The company has a current ratio of 2.42, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The stock has a market cap of $413.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.88, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.60.
Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 38.02% and a net margin of 30.05%.The company had revenue of $9.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.99 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.48 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 24.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 EPS for the current year.
Applied Materials Dividend Announcement
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is 18.28%.
Insider Activity at Applied Materials
In related news, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $465.00, for a total value of $465,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 25,544 shares in the company, valued at $11,877,960. This trade represents a 3.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 725 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $544.56, for a total transaction of $394,806.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 3,181 shares in the company, valued at $1,732,245.36. The trade was a 18.56% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold 9,225 shares of company stock valued at $4,454,181 in the last three months. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.
Institutional Trading of Applied Materials
Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AMAT. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 85.4% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 69,525,842 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $50,267,184,000 after acquiring an additional 32,018,892 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the second quarter valued at $5,252,863,000. Auto Owners Insurance Co lifted its position in Applied Materials by 25,824.4% during the fourth quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 3,370,167 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $86,610,000 after purchasing an additional 3,357,167 shares during the period. Jupiter Topco LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Materials in the second quarter valued at $1,512,287,000. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in Applied Materials by 17.1% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 10,688,232 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,746,769,000 after purchasing an additional 1,558,749 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.
Applied Materials Company Profile
Applied Materials, Inc is a global supplier of equipment, services and software used to manufacture semiconductor chips, flat-panel displays and other advanced electronic products. Its technologies help customers build and enhance materials at the nanoscale, supporting processes such as deposition, etching, inspection, metrology and packaging.
The company’s offerings include semiconductor manufacturing systems, process-control and inspection equipment, and services designed to improve the performance, productivity and longevity of production equipment.
Read More
- Five stocks we like better than Applied Materials
- Skydance Just Became a Media Giant—With an $80 Billion Debt Load
- Could Velo3D Be the Next Defense Buyout Target?
- Penguin Solutions Is Soaring as AI Memory Demand Explodes
- Alphabet’s Chart Is Coiling—and the Fundamentals May Be Ready to Back It Up
Receive News & Ratings for Applied Materials Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Applied Materials and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
