Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT – Free Report) to a hold rating in a report published on Tuesday morning,Zacks.com reports.
Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Applied Materials from $310.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. UBS Group set a $430.00 target price on Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Susquehanna upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “neutral” rating to a “positive” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $180.00 to $400.00 in a report on Sunday, January 11th. KGI Securities upgraded shares of Applied Materials to an “outperform” rating and set a $425.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $350.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $363.46.
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Applied Materials Price Performance
Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.88 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.78% and a return on equity of 37.52%. Applied Materials’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.38 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Applied Materials will post 9.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Applied Materials Increases Dividend
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from Applied Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.83%.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $379.16, for a total transaction of $202,471.44. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 4,625 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,753,615. The trade was a 10.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $361.21, for a total transaction of $1,806,050.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 138,565 shares in the company, valued at approximately $50,051,063.65. This trade represents a 3.48% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 12,003 shares of company stock valued at $4,484,189. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in Applied Materials by 48.7% during the 4th quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Marquette Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 150.0% in the third quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.
Key Stories Impacting Applied Materials
Here are the key news stories impacting Applied Materials this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Company reported record DRAM equipment revenue, introduced new tools for advanced nodes and the board approved a 15% quarterly dividend increase — fundamentals that support mid/long-term demand tied to AI chip buildouts. Applied Materials (AMAT) Is Up 5.7% After Record DRAM Tools, Dividend Hike And AI Supply-Chain Push
- Positive Sentiment: Analysts and industry commentary point to rising demand for HBM (high-bandwidth memory) and advanced packaging as potential accelerants for AMAT’s revenue growth tied to AI and high-performance compute. Can HBM and Packaging Demand Accelerate AMAT’s Revenue Growth?
- Positive Sentiment: Improving wafer‑fab spending visibility and ongoing AI-driven chip demand have supported recent rallies and underpin medium-term order momentum. Applied Materials (AMAT) Surged on Improving Wafer-Fab Spending Visibility
- Positive Sentiment: U.S. industrial policy and large-scale supply-chain initiatives for semiconductors add another tailwind for equipment suppliers like AMAT. US Semiconductor Push Adds New Thread To Applied Materials Story
- Neutral Sentiment: Relative valuation and competitor positioning are under active debate (ASML vs AMAT); analysts still rate both highly but highlight different risk/reward profiles tied to technology moat and pricing. ASML vs. Applied Materials (AMAT): Which Chip Equipment Stock Offers Better Value in 2026?
- Neutral Sentiment: Macro/ETF flow commentary notes that tech earnings are improving but some ETFs (and share prices) lag underlying fundamentals — a signal that rotation or passive flows could mute upside. As Tech Earnings Grow, This ETF Still Hasn’t Caught Up (AMAT)
- Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group moved AMAT to a “hold” — a mild change in street positioning that may temper near-term momentum but is not a strong negative read. Zacks: Erste Group Bank AG Upgrade
- Negative Sentiment: Sector-wide weakness hit multiple chip-equipment and chipmaker names today, and AMAT’s share decline appears driven largely by that broad pullback and profit-taking after recent gains. Teradyne, Applied Materials, Intel, KLA Corporation, and Semtech shares plummet, what you need to know
- Negative Sentiment: Despite an earnings beat, AMAT’s revenue was slightly down year-over-year in the last quarter and the shares carry a premium multiple that can amplify downside during market rotations. Wall Street Bulls Look Optimistic About Applied Materials (AMAT): Should You Buy?
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.
Further Reading
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