Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Stock Price Up 1.3% – Here’s What Happened

Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) was up 1.3% during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $374.25 and last traded at $361.79. Approximately 6,189,645 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 22% from the average daily volume of 7,907,336 shares. The stock had previously closed at $357.06.

Applied Materials News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Improving wafer‑fab spending visibility — several investor notes and market pieces cite clearer capex signals from semiconductor customers, which supports equipment orders and revenue visibility for AMAT. Applied Materials (AMAT) Surged on Improving Wafer-Fab Spending Visibility
• Positive Sentiment: Strong AI chip demand and resilient operating performance — portfolio manager letters highlight AMAT as a direct beneficiary of AI-driven chip buildouts and point to solid recent results and margins that underpin earnings upside. Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT) Gained on Strong AI Chip Demand and Resilient Operating Performance
• Positive Sentiment: Government/industry policy tailwinds — coverage of a new U.S. semiconductor investment push (~$4T consortium scope cited) reinforces that equipment suppliers like AMAT sit centrally in potential domestic chipmaking expansion. US Semiconductor Push Adds New Thread To Applied Materials Story
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst sentiment and “should you buy” pieces — recent Zacks/coverage points to bullish Wall Street views but stops short of major rating moves; useful for sentiment but not an immediate catalyst. Wall Street Bulls Look Optimistic About Applied Materials (AMAT)
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor letters and bullish write‑ups — RiverPark, Renaissance and independent bull notes reiterate AMAT’s exposure to AI and packaging trends; they support conviction but are reiterations rather than new catalysts. Applied Materials (AMAT) Surged on Improving Wafer-Fab Spending Visibility (Investor Letters)
• Negative Sentiment: Short‑interest reports flagged a large increase in March, but the published figures appear inconsistent (zeros reported); the headline could fuel volatility and selling even if the data is unreliable. (internal short‑interest notices)
• Negative Sentiment: Market/sector headwinds — tech rotation and a broader pullback in mega‑cap tech / ETFs temper upside for AMAT despite company‑specific positives; MarketBeat notes tech remains below earlier highs which can drag equipment stocks. As Tech Earnings Grow, This ETF Still Hasn’t Caught Up

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $370.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $420.00 to $432.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Susquehanna upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “neutral” rating to a “positive” rating and upped their price target for the company from $180.00 to $400.00 in a research note on Sunday, January 11th. Erste Group Bank assumed coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Thursday, March 5th. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $260.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $363.46.

Applied Materials Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.94, a current ratio of 2.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The company’s 50 day moving average is $343.10 and its 200 day moving average is $272.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $293.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.65.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.17. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.78% and a return on equity of 37.52%. The firm had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.88 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.38 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. This is a boost from Applied Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is 18.83%.

Insider Buying and Selling 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 stock was sold at an average price of $377.02, for a total transaction of $1,496,392.38. Following the completion of the sale, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $379.16, for a total value of $202,471.44. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,625 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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. Insiders sold 12,003 shares of company stock valued at $4,484,189 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Applied Materials

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Applied Materials by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 76,779,340 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $19,731,523,000 after purchasing an additional 330,197 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 1.0% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 38,920,984 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $7,125,265,000 after purchasing an additional 391,540 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 119.8% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 32,707,049 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $8,405,458,000 after buying an additional 17,829,377 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its holdings in Applied Materials by 72.5% in the 2nd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 13,564,120 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,483,183,000 after buying an additional 5,700,349 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in Applied Materials by 40.1% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 12,520,114 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,563,376,000 after buying an additional 3,583,751 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

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.