Wall Street Zen Upgrades Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) to “Buy”

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) was upgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

AMAT has been the topic of several other research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and set a $605.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $720.00 to $650.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Mizuho cut their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $650.00 to $590.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. Raymond James Financial set a $650.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. Finally, Craig Hallum boosted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $530.00 to $585.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $658.45.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of Applied Materials stock opened at $485.00 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $488.75 and a 200 day simple moving average of $470.77. The stock has a market cap of $384.90 billion, a PE ratio of 41.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.60. The company has a quick ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 2.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. Applied Materials has a 12 month low of $197.39 and a 12 month high of $739.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released 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 firm had revenue of $9.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.99 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 38.02% and a net margin of 30.05%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 24.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.48 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. Research analysts predict that Applied Materials will post 12.79 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 128,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $61,637,780.25. The trade was a 5.51% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Gary Dickerson sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $735.22, for a total transaction of $14,704,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,599,843 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,176,236,570.46. The trade was a 1.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 28,500 shares of company stock worth $18,763,775 over the last quarter. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Applied Materials

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Harborfront Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Highland Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, Financial Freedom LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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 is committing approximately $5 billion to India over the next decade, including a 140-acre semiconductor research park. The investment could expand the company’s regional footprint, strengthen customer relationships and position it to benefit from India’s developing chip ecosystem. Applied Materials AMAT What Is Behind The Fresh Attention Today?
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials, KLA and GlobalFoundries are expanding their semiconductor ties in Singapore. The initiative signals continued investment in regional manufacturing and research capacity, potentially supporting future equipment demand for Applied Materials. Applied Materials, KLA, GlobalFoundries expand Singapore semiconductor ties
• Positive Sentiment: Investor commentary continues to highlight Applied Materials’ exposure to surging AI-related semiconductor demand. The company’s latest reported quarter showed revenue growth of 24.8% year over year, with earnings and sales exceeding consensus estimates, reinforcing the growth narrative. ASML vs. Applied Materials: Which AI Chip-Equipment Stock Is the Better Buy?
• Neutral Sentiment: Comparisons with ASML frame AMAT as a diversified AI chip-equipment investment trading at a lower forward earnings multiple, but the discussion is valuation-focused rather than a new company-specific catalyst. ASML vs. Applied Materials: Which AI Chip-Equipment Stock Is the Better Buy?
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent research is examining whether the latest 25% growth rate represents a sustainable new run rate or merely a recovery quarter, leaving some uncertainty about the durability of the expansion.
• Negative Sentiment: Despite strong long-term performance, the stock has experienced a notable 90-day decline and trades at a premium valuation. That combination may encourage profit-taking and makes the shares more sensitive to any slowdown in AI or semiconductor capital spending.

About Applied Materials

Applied Materials, Inc is a global provider of materials engineering solutions used to manufacture semiconductors, displays and other advanced electronic products. The company develops and supplies equipment, services and software that help customers build and improve the performance of chips and display panels.

Its semiconductor products support processes including deposition, etch, patterning, inspection, metrology and materials modification. Applied Materials also provides equipment and services for display manufacturing, including technologies used in producing liquid-crystal and organic light-emitting diode displays, as well as solutions for adjacent markets such as solar and other specialty applications.

Founded in 1967 and headquartered in Santa Clara, California, Applied Materials serves semiconductor and display manufacturers worldwide through operations, customer-support centers and research and development activities across major technology-producing regions.