Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Trading Down 6.3% – What’s Next?

Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)’s stock price traded down 6.3% on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $218.96 and last traded at $220.23. 9,235,294 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 20% from the average session volume of 7,686,154 shares. The stock had previously closed at $235.13.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on AMAT. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Applied Materials from $250.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Bank of America upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $180.00 to $250.00 in a report on Monday, October 13th. Cfra Research upgraded shares of Applied Materials to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, August 15th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $256.00 to $252.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 14th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Nineteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fifteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $226.74.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

The stock’s 50 day moving average is $216.28 and its two-hundred day moving average is $188.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $175.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 1.84. The company has a current ratio of 2.50, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.11 by $0.06. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 40.96% and a net margin of 23.88%.The company’s quarterly revenue was down 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.32 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.980-2.380 EPS. Analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 20th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.20%.

Institutional Trading of Applied Materials

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in AMAT. Marquette Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Applied Materials by 150.0% during the 3rd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Maseco LLP bought a new stake in Applied Materials during the second quarter worth about $30,000. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd raised its holdings in Applied Materials by 435.0% during the first quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 214 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Activest Wealth Management boosted its position in Applied Materials by 5,325.0% during the first quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 217 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 213 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Company Profile

Applied Materials, Inc engages in the provision of manufacturing equipment, services, and software to the semiconductor, display, and related industries. The company operates through three segments: Semiconductor Systems, Applied Global Services, and Display and Adjacent Markets. The Semiconductor Systems segment develops, manufactures, and sells various manufacturing equipment that is used to fabricate semiconductor chips or integrated circuits.