Applied Materials’ (AMAT) Buy Rating Reaffirmed at TD Cowen

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reissued by investment analysts at TD Cowen in a note issued to investors on Friday, August 14th, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $700.00 price target on the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock. TD Cowen’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 39.68% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other research analysts also recently commented on AMAT. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $605.00 price objective (down from $680.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, August 14th. William Blair initiated coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. They set a “market perform” rating on the stock. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $590.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $530.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Finally, B. Riley Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $700.00 price objective (down from $790.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, August 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $640.20.

Applied Materials Stock Up 3.0%

Shares of AMAT stock traded up $14.38 on Friday, hitting $501.14. The stock had a trading volume of 2,337,124 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,953,804. The firm has a market capitalization of $397.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.60. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $487.97 and its 200-day moving average is $471.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a current ratio of 2.42. Applied Materials has a 52-week low of $202.87 and a 52-week high of $739.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $9.12 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.99 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 30.05% and a return on equity of 38.02%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 24.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.48 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Applied Materials will post 12.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In other news, CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $479.25, for a total value of $3,594,375.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 128,613 shares in the company, valued at approximately $61,637,780.25. This trade represents a 5.51% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $465.00, for a total transaction of $465,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 25,544 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,877,960. The trade was a 3.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Applied Materials

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of AMAT. QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 10.5% in the 2nd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 215,839 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $156,051,000 after acquiring an additional 20,447 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 7.1% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,068,335 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $715,458,000 after acquiring an additional 70,642 shares during the period. Andra AP fonden increased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 34.4% in the 2nd quarter. Andra AP fonden now owns 126,229 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $91,264,000 after acquiring an additional 32,340 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 85.4% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 69,525,842 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $50,267,184,000 after acquiring an additional 32,018,892 shares during the period. Finally, Twin Peaks Capital Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter worth about $12,291,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street’s average price target implies approximately 34.2% potential upside, while positive earnings-estimate revisions suggest analysts remain constructive on Applied Materials’ revenue and profit outlook. Wall Street Analysts Believe Applied Materials Could Rally 34.23%
• Positive Sentiment: Although Morgan Stanley lowered its target, the revised $563 target remains above the stock’s recent level, indicating the firm still sees moderate upside. Applied Materials’ strong recent earnings, revenue growth, and exposure to semiconductor-equipment demand provide additional support for the bullish case. Why a Price Target Cut Isn’t All Bad News
• Neutral Sentiment: A retrospective article highlights the substantial long-term return generated by a $1,000 investment in Applied Materials a decade ago. While this reinforces the company’s historical shareholder performance, it is not a direct near-term catalyst. Applied Materials Long-Term Investment Return
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley cut its Applied Materials price target from $642 to $563 and maintained an “equal weight” rating. The reduction signals more cautious expectations for valuation or semiconductor-equipment demand, even though the new target remains higher than the recent trading level. Morgan Stanley Cuts Applied Materials Price Target

Applied Materials Company Profile

Applied Materials, Inc is a global supplier of equipment, services and software used to manufacture semiconductor chips, flat-panel displays and other advanced electronic products. Its technologies help customers build and enhance materials at the nanoscale, supporting processes such as deposition, etching, inspection, metrology and packaging.

The company’s offerings include semiconductor manufacturing systems, process-control and inspection equipment, and services designed to improve the performance, productivity and longevity of production equipment.