Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Shares Up 3.3% – What’s Next?

Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) rose 3.3% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $599.62 and last traded at $585.78. Approximately 11,616,960 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 53% from the average daily volume of 7,586,380 shares. The stock had previously closed at $567.25.

Applied Materials News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials unveiled new deposition and selective etch systems aimed at improving 3D chip scaling, a product launch tied directly to next-generation AI chip manufacturing. Applied Materials Unveils Deposition and Selective Etch Systems to Advance 3D Chip Scaling
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target on AMAT to $590 from $500 and reiterated an Overweight rating, signaling rising analyst confidence in wafer-fab spending and demand trends. Applied Materials (AMAT) Gets Higher Price Targets from Barclays and Cantor Fitzgerald
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary from Jim Cramer highlighted AMAT favorably as a semiconductor name he would “go for,” adding a visibility boost to the stock among retail investors. Jim Cramer Says “I’ll Go for AMAT”
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader semiconductor ETF trading remains strong, suggesting the group is attracting heavy market interest and supporting momentum in chip-equipment stocks. Semiconductor ETFs Now Dominate the Most‑Traded List — A Signal You Can’t Ignore
• Neutral Sentiment: Articles discussing AMAT’s recent surge and valuation frame the stock as extended, which may temper enthusiasm for new buyers even as momentum stays strong. Buy, Hold, or Sell: Applied Materials Surged Right Back Toward $500 Following a Brutal June Flush. Here’s Where I’d Buy

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AMAT has been the subject of several research reports. Seaport Research Partners initiated coverage on Applied Materials in a research report on Monday, May 4th. They set a “buy” rating and a $500.00 price objective for the company. Erste Group Bank upgraded Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Needham & Company LLC lifted their price objective on Applied Materials from $440.00 to $530.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on Applied Materials from $450.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Applied Materials from $390.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Twenty-seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $483.03.

Applied Materials Price Performance

The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $427.22 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $353.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a current ratio of 2.51. The company has a market capitalization of $465.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.67.

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

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be issued a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is 19.91%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Applied Materials news, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,128 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $450.00, for a total value of $507,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 26,544 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,944,800. The trade was a 4.08% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $498.86, for a total value of $1,247,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 136,113 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $67,901,331.18. This trade represents a 1.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 53,896 shares of company stock valued at $27,135,121. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Applied Materials

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Financial Freedom LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 218.8% during the 1st 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 period. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Finally, MBM Wealth Consultants LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 1st quarter valued at $38,000. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.