Stifel Nicolaus Issues Positive Forecast for Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Stock Price

Posted by Chris Copeland on Jul 10th, 2026

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT – Get Free Report) had its price objective hoisted by analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from $530.00 to $650.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ price target suggests a potential upside of 10.42% from the company’s previous close.

Several other analysts have also recently commented on the company. Citigroup boosted their price target on Applied Materials from $550.00 to $710.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 17th. Susquehanna raised their price objective on Applied Materials from $575.00 to $900.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $540.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Wolfe Research increased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $525.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, May 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $589.48.

Read Our Latest Research Report on AMAT

Applied Materials Stock Performance

NASDAQ AMAT opened at $588.66 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $467.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.27, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.57. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $513.50 and a 200 day moving average of $400.88. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. Applied Materials has a twelve month low of $154.46 and a twelve month high of $739.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The business’s revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.39 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Applied Materials will post 12.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In other news, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $633.53, for a total value of $6,335,300.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 346,642 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $219,608,106.26. The trade was a 2.80% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Thomas J. Iannotti sold 9,250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $599.77, for a total value of $5,547,872.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 40,559 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,326,071.43. The trade was a 18.57% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 278,088 shares of company stock valued at $169,654,805 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Applied Materials

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Financial Freedom LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the first quarter worth about $28,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 48.7% during the fourth quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Finally, Joseph Group Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Applied Materials News

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

Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials gained after reports that Meta plans to begin manufacturing its own AI chip in September, which lifted semiconductor equipment names on expectations for more wafer fab tool demand. Applied Materials, KLA, Lam Research Take Off on Meta’s Chip Plans
Positive Sentiment: CEO Gary Dickerson said Applied Materials has “tremendous visibility” into demand, with chipmakers planning further ahead than usual and AI investment likely to stay elevated for years, reinforcing the bull case for continued equipment spending. Applied Materials (AMAT) Stock Jumps after CEO Says AI Chip Demand Has Years to Run
Positive Sentiment: Broad chip-sector strength also helped AMAT, with AI and memory stocks rallying as Micron’s domestic manufacturing investment added to optimism around the semiconductor capex cycle. US stocks end higher; chip surge offsets Iran worries
Neutral Sentiment: Some recent articles debated whether AMAT is already richly valued or “late to the AI party,” suggesting investors may continue to weigh strong demand growth against valuation risk. Applied Materials: You’re Late To The AI Party
Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and watchlist coverage continued, including a mention from Susquehanna and a manufacturing-stocks roundup, which may support sentiment but did not introduce a major new catalyst. Top Manufacturing Stocks To Add to Your Watchlist – July 9th

Applied Materials Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.