Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Sets New 52-Week High – Here’s What Happened

Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) shares hit a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $639.52 and last traded at $627.8710, with a volume of 958795 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $617.11.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wolfe Research increased their price objective on Applied Materials from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Citigroup lifted their target price on Applied Materials from $550.00 to $710.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. TD Cowen upped their target price on Applied Materials from $450.00 to $525.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $465.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $575.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Thursday, May 28th. Twenty-seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $495.45.

Applied Materials Trading Up 1.7%

The company has a quick ratio of 1.80, a current ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The company’s 50-day moving average is $451.05 and its 200 day moving average is $365.67. The company has a market cap of $498.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 58.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.18. Applied Materials had a net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. The business had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.68 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.39 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. Research analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.1 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th will be issued a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is presently 19.91%.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, Director Thomas J. Iannotti sold 9,250 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $599.77, for a total transaction of $5,547,872.50. Following the transaction, the director owned 40,559 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,326,071.43. This represents a 18.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Omkaram Nalamasu sold 24,263 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $593.43, for a total value of $14,398,392.09. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 146,916 shares in the company, valued at approximately $87,184,361.88. The trade was a 14.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 189,767 shares of company stock valued at $107,769,409 in the last ninety days. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Applied Materials

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Western Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Applied Materials by 16.1% during the first quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,829 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $1,650,000 after acquiring an additional 669 shares during the period. Militia Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the first quarter valued at about $295,000. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 10.9% during the first quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co now owns 29,297 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $10,013,000 after purchasing an additional 2,890 shares in the last quarter. First Nebraska Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 1st quarter worth about $29,488,000. Finally, Foguth Wealth Management LLC. acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 1st quarter worth about $234,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

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.