Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Needham & Company LLC Analyst Says

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) had its price target lifted by equities researchers at Needham & Company LLC from $440.00 to $530.00 in a report issued on Friday, Marketbeat reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock. Needham & Company LLC’s price target points to a potential upside of 20.30% from the company’s current price.

Several other research firms have also recently issued reports on AMAT. Summit Insights raised shares of Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. KeyCorp lifted their target price on Applied Materials from $380.00 to $450.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. KGI Securities upgraded Applied Materials to an “outperform” rating and set a $425.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, February 13th. UBS Group increased their price target on Applied Materials from $430.00 to $480.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded Applied Materials to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 16th. Twenty-eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $396.17.

Applied Materials Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of NASDAQ AMAT opened at $440.56 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a current ratio of 2.71. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $377.52 and its 200-day moving average price is $318.62. Applied Materials has a fifty-two week low of $153.47 and a fifty-two week high of $448.45. The company has a market cap of $349.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.09, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.66.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 37.52% and a net margin of 27.78%.Applied Materials’s revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.39 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Applied Materials will post 11.16 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In related news, Director Judy Bruner sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $391.71, for a total transaction of $979,275.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 26,089 shares in the company, valued at $10,219,322.19. The trade was a 8.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $361.21, for a total transaction of $1,806,050.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 138,565 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $50,051,063.65. The trade was a 3.48% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 12,003 shares of company stock valued at $4,484,189. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Applied Materials

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Financial Freedom LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 1st quarter worth $28,000. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC raised its stake in Applied Materials by 218.8% in the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 102 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Finally, MBM Wealth Consultants LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials in the first quarter worth about $38,000. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Materials News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials beat Q2 estimates, with EPS of $2.86 and revenue of $7.91 billion, both above Wall Street forecasts, reinforcing that demand for semiconductor equipment remains strong. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised guidance for Q3, with revenue outlook above consensus, signaling management expects AI and data-center spending to keep fueling orders. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple reports highlighted record or near-record margins, suggesting Applied Materials is benefiting from strong operating leverage as AI-related demand scales. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts turned more constructive after the report, including a TD Cowen reaffirmation of Buy and a higher price target, which can support the shares. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Several previews and earnings-call coverage focused on the same core theme: investors are watching whether AI spending can offset softer China demand and export restrictions. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the strong results, some reports noted the stock traded lower in premarket, suggesting profit-taking or heightened expectations after a steep rally may be limiting immediate upside. Article Title

About Applied Materials

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.