Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Shares Up 3.1% – Here’s What Happened

Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)’s share price rose 3.1% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $252.66 and last traded at $249.97. Approximately 8,785,907 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 14% from the average daily volume of 7,702,863 shares. The stock had previously closed at $242.46.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AMAT has been the subject of a number of research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, November 14th. Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Daiwa Capital Markets restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $170.00 price objective (down previously from $185.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Applied Materials from $250.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 14th. Finally, Bank of America raised Applied Materials from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $180.00 to $250.00 in a report on Monday, October 13th. Twenty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $228.04.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $199.14 billion, a PE ratio of 29.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 1.84. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $220.98 and a 200-day moving average of $191.03. The company has a quick ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 2.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.11 by $0.06. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 40.96% and a net margin of 23.88%.The firm’s revenue was down 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.32 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.980-2.380 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 20th will be given a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 20th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.20%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Teri A. Little sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 19th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $20,681,202.08. This represents a 4.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Applied Materials

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of AMAT. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in Applied Materials by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,340 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $1,707,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 7.0% during the 3rd quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 657 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $135,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Sunflower Bank N.A. boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Sunflower Bank N.A. now owns 3,287 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $673,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Outlook Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 4.0% during the third quarter. Outlook Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,233 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $252,000 after buying an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Welch Group LLC raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 3.0% in the third quarter. Welch Group LLC now owns 1,741 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $356,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Applied Materials Company Profile

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.