Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Stock Price Up 3.1% – What’s Next?

Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)’s stock price was up 3.1% during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $233.20 and last traded at $230.91. Approximately 8,753,695 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 14% from the average daily volume of 7,694,152 shares. The stock had previously closed at $224.01.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on AMAT. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $256.00 to $252.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 14th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $170.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Applied Materials from $215.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. TD Cowen cut their price objective on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Finally, KeyCorp increased their target price on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 10th. Nineteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fifteen have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $226.74.

Applied Materials Stock Up 3.1%

The company has a current ratio of 2.50, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $219.60 and its 200 day moving average price is $190.42. The company has a market capitalization of $183.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 1.84.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.11 by $0.06. Applied Materials had a net margin of 23.88% and a return on equity of 40.96%. The business’s revenue was down 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.32 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.980-2.380 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 20th will be given a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 20th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.20%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Applied Materials news, SVP Teri A. Little sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.08, for a total transaction of $936,320.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 88,351 shares in the company, valued at $20,681,202.08. This represents a 4.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.24% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Applied Materials

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Marquette Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Applied Materials by 150.0% in the third quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Maseco LLP bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 435.0% in the 1st quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 214 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Activest Wealth Management grew its position in Applied Materials by 5,325.0% during the 1st quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 217 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 213 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

About Applied Materials

Applied Materials, Inc engages in the provision of manufacturing equipment, services, and software to the semiconductor, display, and related industries. The company operates through three segments: Semiconductor Systems, Applied Global Services, and Display and Adjacent Markets. The Semiconductor Systems segment develops, manufactures, and sells various manufacturing equipment that is used to fabricate semiconductor chips or integrated circuits.