Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Given New $580.00 Price Target at Jefferies Financial Group

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) had its target price trimmed by Jefferies Financial Group from $770.00 to $580.00 in a research note published on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a buy rating on the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock.

AMAT has been the subject of a number of other research reports. B. Riley Financial lowered their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $700.00 to $475.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 9th. Bank of America dropped their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $650.00 to $520.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Tuesday, October 20th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Applied Materials from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 26th. Twenty-nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $589.23.

Applied Materials Trading Down 2.7%

NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $370.50 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $294.03 billion, a PE ratio of 29.36, a P/E/G ratio of 0.74 and a beta of 1.67. The business’s 50 day moving average is $437.91 and its two-hundred day moving average is $446.02. The company has a quick ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 2.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. Applied Materials has a 52 week low of $203.40 and a 52 week high of $739.67.

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

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $479.25, for a total transaction of $3,594,375.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 128,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $61,637,780.25. The trade was a 5.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $465.00, for a total transaction of $465,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 25,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,877,960. This represents a 3.77% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 9,225 shares of company stock valued at $4,454,181. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AMAT. Harborfront Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Orion Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Highland Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the second quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, Curry Webb Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Materials News Summary

Investors following AMAT have been watching these news items:

• 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%
• Neutral Sentiment: Management said demand is running ahead of supply, but component shortages and customers’ limited clean-room capacity may constrain how quickly equipment deliveries can scale. China is expected to account for less than a quarter of business in 2027, reducing reliance on that market even as export restrictions remain a risk. Applied Materials Says Chip Demand Remains Much Higher Than Supply
• 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

About Applied Materials

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.