Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Needham & Company LLC Analyst Says

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) had its price objective boosted by Needham & Company LLC from $390.00 to $440.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock. Needham & Company LLC’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 33.96% from the stock’s current price.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $405.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $273.00 to $364.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $275.00 to $390.00 in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $250.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Twenty-five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $323.36.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $328.46 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $293.46 and its 200-day moving average price is $235.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 2.61 and a quick ratio of 1.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $260.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.84, a PEG ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 1.70. Applied Materials has a one year low of $123.74 and a one year high of $344.60.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.19 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.88 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 24.67% and a return on equity of 39.26%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.38 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 609 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.53, for a total value of $155,617.77. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,413 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,127,653.89. This trade represents a 12.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Teri A. Little sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.24, for a total value of $952,960.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 84,351 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,095,782.24. This represents a 4.53% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 8,609 shares of company stock worth $2,044,898 over the last three months. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Marquette Asset Management LLC raised its stake 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 worth $26,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 48.7% in the 4th quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Applied Materials News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat expectations (EPS $2.38 vs. $2.19 est.; revenue $7.01B) and management guided Q2 EPS and revenue above Street estimates — management also signaled strong AI-driven demand for processors that should lift tool orders. Applied Materials jumps as AI demand drives chipmaking tool orders
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street reaction: B. Riley boosted its price target to $400 and reiterated a Buy; multiple firms have high targets and reiterated buys, supporting upside expectations. B. Riley Raises Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT) Price Target to $400, Reaffirms Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic industry positioning: Applied announced Samsung will join its new $5B EPIC R&D center — a sign of deep customer collaboration that can accelerate product adoption for next‑gen nodes and advanced packaging. Applied Materials Announces Samsung Electronics Will Join the New, Multibillion-Dollar EPIC Center
• Neutral Sentiment: Regulatory overhang largely cleared — Applied reached a civil settlement with the U.S. Department of Commerce and said related DOJ and SEC probes were closed without action, removing a significant legal cloud and allowing management to refocus on execution. Applied Materials Reaches Resolution with the U.S. Department of Commerce
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation and momentum risk: the stock entered earnings trading near multi‑month/all‑time highs and carries rich multiples, so even a strong print can prompt profit‑taking — worth watching for short‑term volatility. How to Read Applied Materials Earnings: What Signals Move the Stock?
• Negative Sentiment: Cash impact: Applied agreed to pay roughly $252.5M to resolve alleged export-control violations — a meaningful one-time charge that reduces cash but also finalizes the government review. Applied Materials to pay $252 million to resolve illegal chip exports, US says

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.