Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Rating Increased to Hold at DZ Bank

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) was upgraded by analysts at DZ Bank to a “hold” rating in a report released on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on AMAT. KGI Securities upgraded Applied Materials to an “outperform” rating and set a $425.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday. Citigroup raised their price target on Applied Materials from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Applied Materials from $260.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Needham & Company LLC upped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $390.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $310.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Twenty-seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Applied Materials presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $363.04.

Applied Materials Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $359.13 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $285.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.76, a P/E/G ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 1.70. Applied Materials has a 12-month low of $123.74 and a 12-month high of $376.32. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $298.78 and a 200 day simple moving average of $239.54. The company has a quick ratio of 1.94, a current ratio of 2.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.88 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.78% and a return on equity of 37.52%. The firm’s revenue was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.38 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. Analysts predict that Applied Materials will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 609 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 1st. The shares were 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 trade represents a 12.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Teri A. Little sold 4,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 84,351 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,095,782.24. The trade was a 4.53% 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 Investors Weigh In On Applied Materials

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Align Financial LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at $1,321,000. Freestone Grove Partners LP boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 40.0% during the fourth quarter. Freestone Grove Partners LP now owns 54,456 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $13,995,000 after purchasing an additional 15,547 shares during the period. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 292.6% in the fourth quarter. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec now owns 850,534 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $218,579,000 after purchasing an additional 633,882 shares during the last quarter. DV Equities LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth about $289,000. Finally, Coatue Management LLC boosted its position in Applied Materials by 78.7% in the 4th quarter. Coatue Management LLC now owns 5,984,332 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,537,913,000 after buying an additional 2,635,284 shares during the period. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 / fiscal Q1 results beat expectations and management gave aggressive forward guidance (CEO projected ~20% calendar‑year revenue growth and raised Q2 outlook), which sparked the rally. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Several firms bumped up price targets and ratings after the results — notable raises reported (Needham and others), backing upside to current consensus and supporting further upside momentum. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts are increasingly framing AMAT as a primary beneficiary of the AI-driven “Giga‑cycle”; TD Cowen and other shops have raised targets (e.g., Cowen to ~$450), reinforcing buy‑side conviction. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader industry coverage highlights AMAT’s leadership among equipment suppliers in the current multi‑year chip investment wave — a positive thematic tailwind but already largely priced into many forecasts. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Management scheduled investor conference appearances/fireside chats — useful for additional color on demand and margin trajectory but not an immediate catalyst on its own. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Published short‑interest reports show anomalous “0 shares / NaN” figures for mid‑February — appears to be a data error and does not indicate a meaningful short squeeze. Investors should rely on standard data sources for positioning metrics. (data entries)

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.