Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Stock Has Consensus Price Target of $629.38 According to Brokerages

Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirty-nine analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, thirty have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $640.20.

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on AMAT shares. Weiss Ratings lowered Applied Materials from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 26th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $520.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Susquehanna upped their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $575.00 to $900.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $675.00 to $695.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 1st.

Insider Activity

In other Applied Materials news, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $465.00, for a total transaction 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. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owned 128,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $61,637,780.25. This represents a 5.51% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AMAT. Polaris Financial Partners acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at $676,000. CX Institutional lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 333.3% during the third quarter. CX Institutional now owns 25,853 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $12,631,000 after buying an additional 19,886 shares in the last quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 9.6% in the third quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 446 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $228,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 10.5% in the second quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 215,839 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $156,051,000 after acquiring an additional 20,447 shares during the period. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 7.1% in the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,068,335 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $715,458,000 after acquiring an additional 70,642 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Materials News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Expanded AI packaging partnership: BE Semiconductor is joining Applied Materials’ EPIC Center as an Innovation Partner. The collaboration will target 3D integrated circuits, logic and memory integration, photonics, hybrid bonding, thermo-compression bonding, and die-on-wafer, die-on-die, and die-on-panel architectures. These technologies could benefit from rising demand for AI infrastructure and advanced chip packaging. Applied Materials and Besi expand strategic partnership
• Positive Sentiment: AI and memory demand could extend growth: An investor letter highlighted continued expansion in AI computing and semiconductor memory shortages as factors that may support Applied Materials’ equipment demand. The company’s broad exposure to chip fabrication and packaging gives it multiple ways to participate in AI-related capital spending. AI compute expansion and memory shortages
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst target remains above the recent trading level: Analysts cited in a market report have an average price target of $629.38, suggesting potential upside if Applied Materials meets expectations for continued earnings growth. Applied Materials average target price
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation and comparisons: Recent commentary describes Applied Materials as offering broad AI-driven growth and a lower valuation than some semiconductor-equipment alternatives, although its elevated earnings multiple means further gains likely depend on sustained execution and strong industry spending.
• Negative Sentiment: Execution risk remains: Applied Materials’ record equipment sales could reflect unusually strong conditions rather than a permanent new baseline. Investors should watch whether AI-related demand, memory spending, and advanced-packaging adoption translate into durable orders and margins. What investors may be overlooking

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of AMAT stock opened at $540.04 on Friday. Applied Materials has a 52-week low of $203.40 and a 52-week high of $739.67. The stock has a market cap of $428.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.56, a PEG ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.60. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $485.47 and its 200-day moving average is $476.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a current ratio of 2.42.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $9.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.48 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Applied Materials will post 12.79 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 19th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is 18.28%.

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.