Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirty-three brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $294.75.

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on AMAT. BNP Paribas Exane raised shares of Applied Materials to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 17th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $205.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $275.00 to $390.00 in a report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 14th. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Thursday, December 4th.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, SVP Teri A. Little sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.24, for a total value of $952,960.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 84,351 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,095,782.24. This represents a 4.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 609 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated 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 approximately $1,127,653.89. This represents a 12.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 8,609 shares of company stock worth $2,044,898 in the last ninety days. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AMAT. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. now owns 8,699 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,236,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the period. Bingham Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth about $300,000. Sunpointe LLC boosted its holdings in Applied Materials by 8.4% during the 4th quarter. Sunpointe LLC now owns 1,609 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $413,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its position in Applied Materials by 67.5% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 26,212 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $6,736,000 after acquiring an additional 10,564 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sage Mountain Advisors LLC increased its stake in Applied Materials by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 7,306 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $1,878,000 after purchasing an additional 368 shares during the period. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Materials Price Performance

AMAT stock opened at $322.47 on Friday. Applied Materials has a 1 year low of $123.74 and a 1 year high of $333.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 2.61 and a quick ratio of 1.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $255.70 billion, a PE ratio of 37.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.34 and a beta of 1.67. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $270.76 and a 200-day simple moving average of $222.58.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.11 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $6.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.68 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 39.26% and a net margin of 24.67%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.32 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.980-2.380 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Investors 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 (DPR) is presently 21.20%.

Key Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple brokerages raised price targets and reiterated overweight/buy views — KeyBanc bumped its target to $380 citing DRAM-driven capacity growth and vertical scaling potential; Needham raised its target to $390. KeyBanc Raises Applied Materials (AMAT) Target to $380, Keeps Overweight Rating Needham & Company LLC Increases Applied Materials Price Target to $390.00
• Positive Sentiment: Shares reached an all‑time high intraday, reflecting strong momentum and demand for semiconductor equipment exposure. Applied Materials stock hits all-time high at $332.31 USD
• Positive Sentiment: Applied’s display segment is rebounding: Zacks notes Q4 display revenue jumped ~68% with stronger OLED and advanced systems demand — a potential multi‑year growth driver beyond chips. Can AMAT Lead the Display Market With Advanced OLED and AR/VR Push?
• Neutral Sentiment: Q1 2026 earnings call set for Feb. 12 — investors will focus on revenue guidance, memory demand trends, and China exposure. Applied Materials fiscal Q1 2026 earnings conference call details (company IR)
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage is broad and bullish overall (many Buy/Overweight ratings and a wide range of targets); median target noted in some aggregation is lower than the newest highs, highlighting dispersion in expectations. Applied Materials announces earnings call (QuiverQuant summary)
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation scrutiny after the rally — several write‑ups flag that shares have run up strongly and investors should reassess forward multiples and upside. Applied Materials (AMAT) Valuation Check After Strong Recent Share Price Gains
• Negative Sentiment: China exposure and recent revenue softness remain a risk: AMAT’s revenue was down ~3.5% YoY in the last quarter, and some industry comparisons note China‑facing headwinds that could limit near‑term upside. Which Semiconductor Equipment Stock Has More Upside in 2026? (MarketBeat)
• Negative Sentiment: At least one retail‑oriented column argues there’s a reason to sell vs. rotate into an alternative, highlighting the risk of buying late in a strong run. 1 Reason to Sell AMAT and 1 Stock to Buy Instead

Applied Materials Company Profile

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.