KeyCorp Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Stock

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) had its price objective boosted by KeyCorp from $450.00 to $550.00 in a research note issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “overweight” rating on the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock. KeyCorp’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 24.84% from the stock’s current price.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on the stock. HSBC initiated coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, May 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $517.00 price objective for the company. Summit Insights upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $420.00 to $520.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $500.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Tuesday. Twenty-eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $399.62.

Applied Materials Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of AMAT opened at $440.56 on Friday. Applied Materials has a one year low of $153.47 and a one year high of $448.45. The company has a market cap of $349.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 2.71 and a quick ratio of 1.94. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $377.52 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $318.62.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.78% and a return on equity of 37.52%. The business had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.68 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.39 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Applied Materials will post 11.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In other news, Director Judy Bruner sold 3,969 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $377.02, for a total transaction of $1,496,392.38. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 28,589 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,778,624.78. This represents a 12.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $379.16, for a total transaction of $202,471.44. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 4,625 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,753,615. This trade represents a 10.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 12,003 shares of company stock worth $4,484,189. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Applied Materials

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the third quarter worth $26,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Financial Freedom LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the first quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Highline Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake 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 worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials beat Q2 estimates, with EPS of $2.86 and revenue of $7.91 billion, both above Wall Street forecasts, reinforcing that demand for semiconductor equipment remains strong. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised guidance for Q3, with revenue outlook above consensus, signaling management expects AI and data-center spending to keep fueling orders. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple reports highlighted record or near-record margins, suggesting Applied Materials is benefiting from strong operating leverage as AI-related demand scales. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts turned more constructive after the report, including a TD Cowen reaffirmation of Buy and a higher price target, which can support the shares. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Several previews and earnings-call coverage focused on the same core theme: investors are watching whether AI spending can offset softer China demand and export restrictions. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the strong results, some reports noted the stock traded lower in premarket, suggesting profit-taking or heightened expectations after a steep rally may be limiting immediate upside. Article Title

Applied Materials Company Profile

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.