Applied Materials’ (AMAT) “Buy” Rating Reiterated at Needham & Company LLC

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT)‘s stock had its “buy” rating restated by equities research analysts at Needham & Company LLC in a report released on Friday, August 14th, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $740.00 price target on the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock. Needham & Company LLC’s price target would suggest a potential upside of 47.53% from the stock’s current price.

AMAT has been the topic of a number of other reports. HC Wainwright set a $850.00 price target on Applied Materials in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Applied Materials from $502.00 to $647.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating and set a $525.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, May 15th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on Applied Materials from $525.00 to $700.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Applied Materials from $715.00 to $740.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $640.20.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of AMAT traded up $14.83 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $501.59. 2,337,124 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,953,804. The stock has a market cap of $398.06 billion, a PE ratio of 43.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.60. The company has a current ratio of 2.42, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $487.97 and its 200-day simple moving average is $471.76. Applied Materials has a 12 month low of $202.87 and a 12 month high of $739.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $9.12 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.99 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 38.02% and a net margin of 30.05%.Applied Materials’s quarterly revenue was up 24.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.48 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Applied Materials will post 12.79 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $479.25, for a total value of $3,594,375.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 128,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $61,637,780.25. The trade was a 5.51% 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. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $465.00, for a total value of $465,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 25,544 shares in the company, valued at $11,877,960. This trade represents a 3.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Applied Materials

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. BlackRock Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 1.6% during the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 80,212,518 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $57,993,650,000 after purchasing an additional 1,237,685 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 76,779,340 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $19,731,523,000 after purchasing an additional 330,197 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 85.4% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 69,525,842 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $50,267,184,000 after purchasing an additional 32,018,892 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 119.8% during the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 32,707,049 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $8,405,458,000 after purchasing an additional 17,829,377 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at $2,858,543,000. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

More Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street’s average price target implies approximately 34.2% potential upside, while positive earnings-estimate revisions suggest analysts remain constructive on Applied Materials’ revenue and profit outlook. Wall Street Analysts Believe Applied Materials Could Rally 34.23%
• Positive Sentiment: Although Morgan Stanley lowered its target, the revised $563 target remains above the stock’s recent level, indicating the firm still sees moderate upside. Applied Materials’ strong recent earnings, revenue growth, and exposure to semiconductor-equipment demand provide additional support for the bullish case. Why a Price Target Cut Isn’t All Bad News
• Neutral Sentiment: A retrospective article highlights the substantial long-term return generated by a $1,000 investment in Applied Materials a decade ago. While this reinforces the company’s historical shareholder performance, it is not a direct near-term catalyst. Applied Materials Long-Term Investment Return
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley cut its Applied Materials price target from $642 to $563 and maintained an “equal weight” rating. The reduction signals more cautious expectations for valuation or semiconductor-equipment demand, even though the new target remains higher than the recent trading level. Morgan Stanley Cuts Applied Materials Price Target

About Applied Materials

Applied Materials, Inc is a global supplier of equipment, services and software used to manufacture semiconductor chips, flat-panel displays and other advanced electronic products. Its technologies help customers build and enhance materials at the nanoscale, supporting processes such as deposition, etching, inspection, metrology and packaging.

The company’s offerings include semiconductor manufacturing systems, process-control and inspection equipment, and services designed to improve the performance, productivity and longevity of production equipment.