Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Upgraded at DZ Bank

DZ Bank upgraded shares of Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) to a hold rating in a report released on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other brokerages also recently commented on AMAT. B. Riley Financial restated a “buy” rating and issued a $450.00 target price (up from $400.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, February 13th. KGI Securities upgraded shares of Applied Materials to an “outperform” rating and set a $425.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Applied Materials from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $290.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC boosted their price target on Applied Materials from $390.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Twenty-seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $363.04.

Applied Materials Trading Up 2.8%

AMAT opened at $369.30 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a current ratio of 2.71. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $300.66 and its 200-day moving average price is $240.45. Applied Materials has a one year low of $123.74 and a one year high of $376.32. The stock has a market cap of $293.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.70.

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

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business 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 dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is 18.83%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 609 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.53, for a total value of $155,617.77. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 4,413 shares in the company, valued at $1,127,653.89. This trade represents a 12.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Teri A. Little sold 4,000 shares of the business’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 sale, the senior vice president owned 84,351 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,095,782.24. The trade was a 4.53% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 9,609 shares of company stock worth $2,914,628 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Applied Materials

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of 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 during the last quarter. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, Highline Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 48.7% in the fourth quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Materials News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company fundamentals and guidance — AMAT beat Q1 estimates and management gave aggressive growth guidance (CEO projected ~20% calendar‑2026 sales and strong Q2 revenue outlook), which has driven analyst target‑price increases and renewed optimism among investors. 3 Under-the-Radar Earnings Surprises Could Signal a New Trend (AMAT)
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and estimate revisions — Zacks bumped AMAT to a Strong Buy and published commentary noting upward earnings‑estimate revisions, supporting near‑term upside expectations. Applied Materials (AMAT) Upgraded to Strong Buy: Here’s Why
• Positive Sentiment: Large bullish options activity — unusually big call buying (≈97,138 calls, ~+231% vs. typical daily volume) suggests traders are positioning for further upside or protecting long exposure.
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor events — Applied Materials confirmed management will appear at upcoming investor conferences (opportunity for further detail/Q&A but not an immediate earnings surprise). Applied Materials to Participate in Upcoming Investor Conferences
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst commentary — some publications note conflicting analyst views on AMAT amid sector rotation and valuation debates; this creates variable near‑term sentiment even as fundamentals look strong. Analysts Have Conflicting Sentiments on These Technology Companies
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest data appears unreliable — reports show zero/NaN short interest and a 0.0 days‑to‑cover metric, which is likely a reporting anomaly and not meaningful for positioning today.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider sale — CFO Brice Hill sold 5,000 shares for ~$1.8M, trimming his stake by ~3.5%; while routine insider sales often fund personal liquidity, some investors view insider selling as a mild negative signal. SEC Form 4

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.