Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Given New $600.00 Price Target at Stifel Nicolaus

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) had its price target decreased by stock analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from $650.00 to $600.00 in a research note issued on Friday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock. Stifel Nicolaus‘s price target would suggest a potential upside of 57.50% from the company’s previous close.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Applied Materials from $645.00 to $670.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $720.00 to $650.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Deutsche Bank reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $605.00 price target (down from $680.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Argus set a $600.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 18th. Twenty-nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $618.53.

Applied Materials Trading Down 3.6%

Shares of AMAT opened at $380.95 on Friday. Applied Materials has a 52-week low of $203.40 and a 52-week high of $739.67. The business’s fifty day moving average is $439.22 and its 200-day moving average is $445.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a current ratio of 2.42. The firm has a market cap of $302.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.84, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $4.16 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.06 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 38.02% and a net margin of 30.05%. The company had revenue of $10.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.30 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.17 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q1 2027 guidance at 4.150-4.550 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Applied Materials will post 12.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 725 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $544.56, for a total transaction of $394,806.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 3,181 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,732,245.36. This trade represents a 18.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at approximately $61,637,780.25. This trade represents a 5.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 9,225 shares of company stock valued at $4,454,181 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AMAT. BlackRock Inc. boosted its position in Applied Materials by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 80,212,518 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $57,993,650,000 after buying an additional 1,237,685 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its position in Applied Materials by 85.4% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 69,525,842 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $50,267,184,000 after acquiring an additional 32,018,892 shares during the period. Amundi increased its position in Applied Materials by 19.0% in the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 7,808,207 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $5,645,344,000 after acquiring an additional 1,246,876 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its position in Applied Materials by 16.2% in the 2nd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 7,713,599 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $5,576,932,000 after acquiring an additional 1,073,879 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the second quarter valued at $5,252,863,000. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

More Applied Materials News

Investors following AMAT have been watching these news items:

• Positive Sentiment: Fiscal Q4 revenue reached a record $10.41 billion, up 53% year over year, while adjusted EPS of $4.16 topped the $4.06 consensus. The company also reported record annual revenue and higher margins. Applied Materials Announces Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2026 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Management said customer demand is strong, with some customers seeking earlier deliveries, but component sourcing and clean-room capacity limit how quickly the company can ship. China is expected to represent less than a quarter of shipments in 2027, reducing exposure but leaving export restrictions a consideration. Applied Materials earnings and outlook coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the results, the market’s response has been muted. Broader technology weakness and lingering Nvidia-related concerns may be tempering investor enthusiasm, while recent steep declines in chip-equipment shares have left investors looking for stronger confirmation that the recovery will continue. Applied Materials’ Beat Gets a Lukewarm Reception

Applied Materials Company Profile

Applied Materials, Inc. develops and supplies equipment, software and services used to manufacture semiconductors and advanced displays. Its technologies help customers build and process materials at the microscopic scale required for chips and other electronic products. The company’s offerings include systems for depositing, removing and modifying materials, as well as inspection, measurement and process-control tools. It also provides equipment and services for advanced semiconductor packaging and supports customers with maintenance, upgrades and manufacturing software.