Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Stock Rating Upgraded by Mizuho

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) was upgraded by equities researchers at Mizuho from a “hold” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report issued on Tuesday, MarketBeat reports. The brokerage currently has a $370.00 price target on the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock, up from their previous price target of $275.00. Mizuho’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 10.36% from the company’s current price.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the company. BNP Paribas Exane raised Applied Materials to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $310.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, January 9th. KeyCorp increased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $285.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $250.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Evercore ISI reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $290.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Twenty-four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $298.14.

Applied Materials Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of AMAT stock traded down $1.47 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $335.28. 2,748,728 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,496,811. The stock has a market cap of $265.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.65, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a quick ratio of 1.87, a current ratio of 2.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Applied Materials has a fifty-two week low of $123.74 and a fifty-two week high of $344.60. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $276.76 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $225.36.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.11 by $0.06. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 39.26% and a net margin of 24.67%.The firm had revenue of $6.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.68 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.32 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.980-2.380 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Applied Materials will post 9.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Teri A. Little sold 4,000 shares of the firm’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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 84,351 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,095,782.24. This trade represents a 4.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 609 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,127,653.89. This trade represents a 12.13% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 8,609 shares of company stock worth $2,044,898. 0.24% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Applied Materials

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Marquette Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 150.0% during the 3rd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake 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 valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the second quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho upgraded AMAT from Hold to Outperform and raised its price target to $370 (from $275), citing signs of a “significant acceleration” in wafer fabrication equipment (WFE) spending — Mizuho’s call is a clear near-term catalyst and implies roughly double‑digit upside from recent levels. Mizuho upgrades Applied Materials
• Positive Sentiment: KeyBanc raised its price target to $380 and Goldman Sachs lists AMAT among top semiconductor picks — reinforces multi‑year semiconductor tailwinds (more deposition/etch intensity and diversified equipment exposure). Analyst support and price-target increases
• Positive Sentiment: High-profile bullish attention from media/commentators (Jim Cramer flagged AMAT as having demand that “can’t be met”), which can amplify retail and momentum flows. Jim Cramer comment
• Neutral Sentiment: General market writeups note AMAT “gains as market dips” and profile analysts’ bullish calls — useful context but not new fundamental news. AMAT gains as market dips
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest posts in the data feed show large changes but report zero shares / NaN increases — the figures look unreliable; treat short-interest signals as inconclusive until exchanges confirm. (No external link — data feed note.)

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.