Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Price Target Raised to $350.00 at Bank of America

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) had its price target lifted by Bank of America from $300.00 to $350.00 in a report released on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. Bank of America currently has a buy rating on the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock.

AMAT has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Evercore ISI reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $290.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $273.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Applied Materials from $215.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Applied Materials from $255.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Twenty-one analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $256.59.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of AMAT stock opened at $304.87 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $241.74 billion, a PE ratio of 35.12, a PEG ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 1.67. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $256.53 and its 200 day simple moving average is $215.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 2.61 and a quick ratio of 1.87. Applied Materials has a one year low of $123.74 and a one year high of $310.64.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.17 earnings per share (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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.68 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.32 EPS. The company’s 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. As a group, research analysts forecast that Applied Materials will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be given 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 is presently 21.20%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Teri A. Little sold 4,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.24, for a total value of $952,960.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 84,351 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,095,782.24. This trade represents a 4.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 609 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.53, for a total transaction of $155,617.77. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 4,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,127,653.89. This trade represents a 12.13% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 8,609 shares of company stock worth $2,044,898. 0.24% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Applied Materials

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Marquette Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 150.0% during the 3rd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials during the third quarter worth $31,000. Maseco LLP bought a new stake in Applied Materials during the second quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Financial Gravity Companies Inc. purchased a new stake in Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: FY25 flash (NAND) sales nearly doubled to $1.41B as 3D NAND capacity upgrades and sales of new metrology tools accelerated AMAT’s flash momentum — supports revenue diversification and upside to equipment sales if customers continue 3D NAND investment. AMAT’s Flash Memory Sales Nearly Double in FY25: What’s Ahead?
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America raised its price target from $300 to $350 and kept a Buy rating — a notable bullish analyst signal that implies meaningful upside vs. the current level and can attract momentum buyers. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Susquehanna upgraded AMAT (another analyst upgrade), reinforcing the positive consensus shift among sell‑side firms — additional support for near‑term sentiment. Susquehanna upgrades Applied Materials (AMAT)
• Positive Sentiment: Short interest fell meaningfully in December (down ~21% to ~13.96M shares; days‑to‑cover ~2.3), implying reduced short pressure heading into the new year — a technical positive for the stock.
• Neutral Sentiment: Options activity shows “market whale” bets around AMAT — increased derivatives flow can signal conviction but is ambiguous on direction without position detail. Market Whales and Their Recent Bets on AMAT Options
• Neutral Sentiment: Roundup articles sharing analyst forecasts (some calling for large rallies) create speculation-driven interest but are not concrete catalysts — treat as noise until backed by fundamentals or guidance. Applied Materials To Rally Around 33%? Here Are 10 Top Analyst Forecasts
• Neutral Sentiment: January short‑interest data in one feed appears inconsistent/erroneous (reported as 0 shares / NaN change); treat the January reading as unreliable until clarified by official exchanges.

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.