Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Upgraded at Mizuho

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) was upgraded by equities researchers at Mizuho from a “hold” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report issued on Tuesday, MarketBeat.com reports. The brokerage currently has a $370.00 target price on the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock, up from their prior target price of $275.00. Mizuho’s price target suggests a potential upside of 9.87% from the stock’s current price.

AMAT has been the subject of a number of other reports. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $350.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $250.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. UBS Group raised shares of Applied Materials from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $250.00 to $285.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $300.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Applied Materials from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday, December 29th. Twenty-four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $298.14.

Applied Materials Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of AMAT stock opened at $336.75 on Tuesday. 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 $344.04. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $276.76 and its 200-day moving average price is $225.36. The company has a market capitalization of $267.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.80, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.11 by $0.06. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 39.26% and a net margin of 24.67%.The business had revenue of $6.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.68 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.32 EPS. Applied Materials’s revenue for the quarter 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. Sell-side analysts expect that Applied Materials will post 9.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Teri A. Little sold 4,000 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 609 shares of Applied Materials 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 completion of the transaction, 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 position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 8,609 shares of company stock worth $2,044,898 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Applied Materials

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AMAT. Godsey & Gibb Inc. increased its position in Applied Materials by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Godsey & Gibb Inc. now owns 1,298 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $334,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Family Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Family Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,227 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $1,086,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the period. Traveka Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Applied Materials by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Traveka Wealth LLC now owns 1,404 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $361,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings 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. Finally, Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Applied Materials by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,096 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $1,053,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Key Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho upgraded AMAT after citing a likely “significant acceleration” in WFE upgrades, lifting the stock’s buy-side momentum. Mizuho upgrades Applied Materials (AMAT)
• Positive Sentiment: KeyBanc raised its price target to $380 (from $285) and maintained an Overweight rating; Insider commentary also flags AMAT as a Goldman Sachs top semiconductor pick—supporting a re-rating narrative. Applied Materials (AMAT) Gains Analyst Support as Multi-Year Semiconductor Tailwinds Take Shape
• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer highlighted AMAT, saying the company faces a “shortage that can’t be met,” reinforcing expectations of strong demand and near-term revenue visibility. Applied Materials (AMAT) Has a Shortage That Can’t Be Met, Says Jim Cramer
• Positive Sentiment: Several analyst pieces and market write-ups argue AMAT is positioned to “dominate” in 2026 on improving semiconductor cycles and technology intensity—adding to bullish conviction among investors. Analysts Expect Applied Materials Stock to Dominate in 2026. Should You Buy Shares Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest reports in this feed show anomalous/zero values and NaN changes, so they don’t provide reliable signals about bearish positioning right now. Analysts Expect Applied Materials Stock to Dominate in 2026. Should You Buy Shares Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader roundup stories and investor-interest reports (Zacks, 24/7 Wall St., Barchart) highlight heavy attention and analyst research calls but add less new, market-moving facts. Investors Heavily Search Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT): Here is What You Need to Know

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.