Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Given New $500.00 Price Target at TD Cowen

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) had its price objective cut by TD Cowen from $700.00 to $500.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the company. Mizuho reduced their price target on Applied Materials from $650.00 to $590.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Applied Materials from $645.00 to $670.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Berenberg Bank increased their price objective on Applied Materials from $575.00 to $675.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $515.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners restated a “buy” rating and issued a $575.00 target price (up from $500.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, August 14th. Twenty-nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $589.23.

Applied Materials Stock Down 2.7%

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $370.50 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $437.91 and its 200-day moving average price is $446.02. Applied Materials has a 12-month low of $203.40 and a 12-month high of $739.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $294.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.74 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a current ratio of 2.42, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $4.16 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.06 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 43.37% and a net margin of 29.29%. The firm had revenue of $10.41 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.30 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.17 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q1 2027 guidance at 4.150-4.550 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Applied Materials will post 18.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.28%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director directly owned 25,544 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,877,960. This trade represents a 3.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 725 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $544.56, for a total value of $394,806.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 3,181 shares in the company, valued at $1,732,245.36. This trade represents a 18.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 9,225 shares of company stock worth $4,454,181. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Applied Materials

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Harborfront Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Curry Webb Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Orion Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the second quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Highland Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the second quarter valued at about $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Recent Applied Materials Headlines

Investors following AMAT have been watching these headlines:

• Positive Sentiment: Fiscal Q4 revenue reached a record $10.41 billion, up 53% year over year, while non-GAAP EPS rose 92% to $4.16; both topped analysts’ estimates. The company also reported higher margins and returned $2.42 billion to shareholders through dividends and buybacks. Applied Materials Announces Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management’s outlook points to continued momentum: it forecast Q1 revenue of $10.6 billion–$11.6 billion and expects Semiconductor Systems revenue to grow more than 40% in calendar 2026. AI-related chip demand and capacity investment are key drivers of the forecast. Applied Materials sees semiconductor systems growth above 40%
• Negative Sentiment: The strong quarter has not overcome weak sector sentiment: multiple analysts lowered price targets, citing valuation or semiconductor-equipment multiple compression, although most maintained Buy or Overweight ratings. A broader chip-stock sell-off and lingering concerns around AI-related trades have also weighed on the reaction. Analysts cut targets despite strong results

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.