Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Mizuho Analyst Says

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) had its price objective hoisted by investment analysts at Mizuho from $370.00 to $410.00 in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “outperform” rating on the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock. Mizuho’s price objective points to a potential upside of 24.82% from the company’s current price.

Several other analysts have also issued reports on AMAT. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $325.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Needham & Company LLC upped their price objective on Applied Materials to $440.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $385.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $350.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Twenty-five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $328.00.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

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

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 business had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.88 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 39.26% and a net margin of 24.67%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.38 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Applied Materials will post 9.38 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Applied Materials

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 0.4% in 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 grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 1.0% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 38,920,984 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $7,125,265,000 after buying an additional 391,540 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 119.8% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 32,707,049 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $8,405,458,000 after buying an additional 17,829,377 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 21,026,363 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $3,836,807,000 after buying an additional 407,282 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 72.5% during the 2nd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 13,564,120 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,483,183,000 after buying an additional 5,700,349 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

More Applied Materials News

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.