Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Stock Price Target Cut by Morgan Stanley

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT – Get Free Report) had its price target dropped by research analysts at Morgan Stanley from $563.00 to $538.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “equal weight” rating on the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock. Morgan Stanley‘s price target indicates a potential upside of 41.32% from the stock’s previous close.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Berenberg Bank increased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $575.00 to $675.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 17th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Tuesday, October 20th. HSBC cut their target price on Applied Materials from $683.00 to $641.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target on Applied Materials from $675.00 to $700.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Applied Materials from $530.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Thirty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $632.01.

Get Our Latest Research Report on Applied Materials

Applied Materials Stock Up 1.6%

Shares of NASDAQ AMAT traded up $6.17 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $380.70. The stock had a trading volume of 1,909,063 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,851,924. Applied Materials has a 12 month low of $203.40 and a 12 month high of $739.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 2.42 and a quick ratio of 1.79. The company has a market capitalization of $302.13 billion, a PE ratio of 32.88, a PEG ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.60. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $455.30 and a two-hundred day moving average of $443.98.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a net margin of 30.05% and a return on equity of 38.02%. The company had revenue of $9.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.99 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.48 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 24.8% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Applied Materials will post 12.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In other news, CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $479.25, for a total transaction of $3,594,375.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 128,613 shares in the company, valued at $61,637,780.25. This trade represents a 5.51% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $465.00, for a total transaction 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 9,225 shares of company stock worth $4,454,181 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Applied Materials

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 4.3% in the second quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 409 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $296,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares during the period. Innovative Asset Advisors Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. Innovative Asset Advisors Group LLC now owns 961 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $695,000 after buying an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in Applied Materials by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC now owns 1,003 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $725,000 after buying an additional 21 shares during the period. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in Applied Materials by 5.9% in the 2nd quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 377 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $273,000 after buying an additional 21 shares during the period. Finally, IMG Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Applied Materials by 13.0% in the 2nd quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 183 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $132,000 after buying an additional 21 shares during the period. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Applied Materials Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Applied Materials, Inc is a technology company that supplies equipment, services and software used to manufacture semiconductors and advanced displays. Its products help customers fabricate the integrated circuits and other components used in computers, mobile devices, data centers, automobiles and a range of connected technologies.

The company’s offerings include systems for materials engineering, wafer fabrication, inspection and process control, along with equipment and services designed to improve manufacturing productivity and yield.

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Analyst Recommendations for Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT)

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