Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $360.00 to $450.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $315.00 to $450.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $470.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, February 13th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Applied Materials from $260.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, KGI Securities upgraded Applied Materials to an “outperform” rating and set a $425.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, February 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $363.04.

Applied Materials Stock Up 2.8%

Shares of AMAT stock opened at $369.30 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 2.71 and a quick ratio of 1.94. Applied Materials has a one year low of $123.74 and a one year high of $376.32. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $300.66 and its 200-day moving average price is $240.45. The company has a market capitalization of $293.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.80, a PEG ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.70.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.17. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 37.52% and a net margin of 27.78%.The business had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.88 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.38 EPS. Applied Materials’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. Sell-side analysts expect that Applied Materials will post 9.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Applied Materials news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 609 shares of the firm’s 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 sale, the chief accounting officer owned 4,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,127,653.89. This trade represents a 12.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $361.21, for a total value of $1,806,050.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 138,565 shares in the company, valued at approximately $50,051,063.65. The trade was a 3.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 9,609 shares of company stock valued at $2,914,628. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Applied Materials

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AMAT. Warther Private Wealth LLC boosted its position in Applied Materials by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Warther Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,908 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $490,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the period. Tradition Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Applied Materials by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Tradition Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,031 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $265,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Hoxton Planning & Management LLC raised its position in Applied Materials by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Hoxton Planning & Management LLC now owns 2,208 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $567,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Godsey & Gibb Inc. increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Godsey & Gibb Inc. now owns 1,298 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $334,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the period. Finally, Family Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Family Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,227 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,086,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong earnings and guidance — AMAT beat Q4/Q1 consensus and management set aggressive forward guidance (Q2 EPS range and multi‑year growth commentary), which underpins current upside momentum. 3 Under-the-Radar Earnings Surprises Could Signal a New Trend (AMAT)
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and estimate revisions — Zacks moved AMAT to a Strong Buy and multiple firms raised price targets (Goldman, Barclays, UBS, Stifel noted raising targets), reinforcing buy-side conviction and supporting higher valuations. Applied Materials (AMAT) Upgraded to Strong Buy: Here’s Why
• Positive Sentiment: Large bullish options flow — unusually heavy call buying (~97,138 calls, +231% vs. average) signals traders positioning for further upside or hedging existing longs; this can amplify intraday moves and short‑term sentiment.
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst commentary — some outlets flag conflicting views on valuation/sector rotation despite strong fundamentals, creating variable near‑term sentiment. Analysts Have Conflicting Sentiments on These Technology Companies
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest reporting appears unreliable — public feeds show zero/NaN short interest and 0.0 days‑to‑cover, which is likely a data glitch and not informative for positioning today.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider sale — CFO Brice Hill sold 5,000 shares (~$1.8M) at about $361.21, trimming his stake ~3.5%. Routine personally motivated sales can be interpreted negatively by some investors even when small relative to total holdings. SEC Form 4

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.