Short Interest in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Declines By 14.6%

Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) was the recipient of a significant drop in short interest in the month of January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 13,733,468 shares, a drop of 14.6% from the January 15th total of 16,088,927 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 7,828,801 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.8 days. Approximately 1.7% of the shares of the company are short sold. Approximately 1.7% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 7,828,801 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.8 days.

Applied Materials Price Performance

AMAT opened at $354.91 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $296.94 and a 200-day moving average price of $238.28. Applied Materials has a 12-month low of $123.74 and a 12-month high of $376.32. The company has a current ratio of 2.71, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $281.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.33, a PEG ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 1.70.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.88 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 37.52% and a net margin of 27.78%.Applied Materials’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.38 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Applied Materials will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be issued a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 19th. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is presently 18.83%.

Key Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Earnings beat and bullish market reaction — AMAT pushed to a new one‑year high after reporting quarterly results that topped estimates and prompted buying interest. Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Hits New 1-Year High After Earnings Beat
• Positive Sentiment: Major analyst price-target increases — Cantor Fitzgerald raised its target to $470 (from $425), signaling higher modelled upside and boosting investor confidence. Applied Materials price target raised to $470 from $425 at Cantor Fitzgerald
• Positive Sentiment: Additional target raises — Needham and other outlets posted higher targets (e.g., Needham to $440), reinforcing the analyst momentum behind the stock. Applied Materials price target raised to $440 from $390 at Needham
• Positive Sentiment: Upgrades and buy reiterations — Several firms upgraded or reiterated buy calls (Summit Insights upgrade; B. Riley reiterated buy; RBC added a buy), adding analyst support to the rally. Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Upgraded at Summit Insights Applied Materials’ (AMAT) Buy Rating Reiterated at B. Riley Securities Applied Materials (AMAT) Gets a Buy from RBC Capital
• Positive Sentiment: Regulatory/strategic clarity — Reports say AMAT cleared a U.S. probe and a refocused Samsung EPIC partnership, which reduces regulatory overhang and supports growth prospects. Applied Materials Clears US Probe As Samsung EPIC Partnership Refocuses Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Sector and thematic support — Industry pieces highlight AMAT as a key play on memory and AI-related capex, drawing thematic investor interest into memory/equipment names. Applied Materials Shows Why Memory Stocks Are the Next Big AI Buying Opportunity
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed chip‑sector context — Coverage notes the semiconductor group is mixed (AMAT and TSMC up, NVDA and Intel down); AMAT’s strength may reflect stock‑specific drivers more than broad sector momentum. Chip Stocks Split: AMAT and TSMC Gain While NVDA and Intel Retreat
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data appears erroneous — a February short‑interest entry shows zeros/NaN and provides no actionable signal; treat as unreliable until corrected.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In related news, SVP Teri A. Little sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.24, for a total transaction of $952,960.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 84,351 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,095,782.24. The trade was a 4.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 609 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.53, for a total value of $155,617.77. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,413 shares in the company, valued at $1,127,653.89. This trade represents a 12.13% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 8,609 shares of company stock valued at $2,044,898. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Applied Materials

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AMAT. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC boosted 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 valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the period. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, Highline Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in Applied Materials by 48.7% in the 4th quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on AMAT. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Monday, December 29th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Morgan Stanley set a $420.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday. Summit Insights raised shares of Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price objective on Applied Materials from $315.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Twenty-eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $361.03.

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.