Applied Materials’ (AMAT) Buy Rating Reiterated at Needham & Company LLC

Needham & Company LLC reiterated their buy rating on shares of Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) in a report published on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a $260.00 price target on the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock.

Several other research analysts have also weighed in on the company. Daiwa Capital Markets reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $170.00 price target (down previously from $185.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $225.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $170.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, October 20th. Daiwa America cut Applied Materials from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Applied Materials from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 15th. Nineteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $226.74.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of AMAT opened at $226.01 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $180.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 1.84. Applied Materials has a 1 year low of $123.74 and a 1 year high of $242.50. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $212.28 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $187.32. The company has a current ratio of 2.50, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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. Applied Materials had a net margin of 23.88% and a return on equity of 40.96%. The business had revenue of $6.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.68 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.32 EPS. Applied Materials’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.980-2.380 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Applied Materials will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 20th will be given a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 20th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.20%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Applied Materials

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. SummitTX Capital L.P. increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 71.3% in the 3rd quarter. SummitTX Capital L.P. now owns 101,177 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $20,715,000 after buying an additional 42,126 shares during the period. Ancora Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 35,408 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $7,249,000 after acquiring an additional 728 shares in the last quarter. Credit Agricole S A acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $122,142,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. increased its stake in Applied Materials by 9.6% in the third quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 1,319,489 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $270,152,000 after acquiring an additional 115,226 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TRUE Private Wealth Advisors acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the third quarter valued at approximately $219,000. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Applied Materials

Applied Materials, Inc engages in the provision of manufacturing equipment, services, and software to the semiconductor, display, and related industries. The company operates through three segments: Semiconductor Systems, Applied Global Services, and Display and Adjacent Markets. The Semiconductor Systems segment develops, manufactures, and sells various manufacturing equipment that is used to fabricate semiconductor chips or integrated circuits.