Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Price Target Raised to $245.00 at Mizuho

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) had its price target upped by analysts at Mizuho from $205.00 to $245.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “neutral” rating on the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock. Mizuho’s target price would suggest a potential downside of 5.35% from the stock’s current price.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $250.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Applied Materials from $215.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. Bank of America raised Applied Materials from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $180.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Monday, October 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Finally, Daiwa America cut Applied Materials from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. Twenty research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $245.48.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

NASDAQ AMAT opened at $258.84 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 2.61 and a quick ratio of 1.87. The company has a market cap of $205.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.82, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 1.67. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $238.37 and a two-hundred day moving average of $201.42. Applied Materials has a 1-year low of $123.74 and a 1-year high of $276.10.

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 the consensus estimate of $2.11 by $0.06. Applied Materials had a net margin of 24.67% and a return on equity of 39.26%. The business had revenue of $6.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.68 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.32 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.980-2.380 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Applied Materials will post 9.38 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 609 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owned 4,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,127,653.89. This represents a 12.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Teri A. Little sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 8,609 shares of company stock worth $2,044,898. Company insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of AMAT. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in Applied Materials by 28.0% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,674 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,061,000 after acquiring an additional 2,771 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in shares of Applied Materials by 1.1% during the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 93,253 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $13,533,000 after purchasing an additional 1,050 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 6.1% in the 1st quarter. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 4,455 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $646,000 after purchasing an additional 255 shares during the last quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 24.3% in the 1st quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 2,725 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $395,000 after purchasing an additional 533 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Erste Asset Management GmbH boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH now owns 511,320 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $74,314,000 after purchasing an additional 5,041 shares during the period. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Applied Materials

Applied Materials, Inc engages in the provision of manufacturing equipment, services, and software to the semiconductor, display, and related industries. The company operates through three segments: Semiconductor Systems, Applied Global Services, and Display and Adjacent Markets. The Semiconductor Systems segment develops, manufactures, and sells various manufacturing equipment that is used to fabricate semiconductor chips or integrated circuits.