Citigroup Issues Positive Forecast for Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Stock Price

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) had its price objective hoisted by Citigroup from $400.00 to $420.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock. Citigroup’s target price indicates a potential upside of 17.28% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on AMAT. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $260.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Applied Materials from $350.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Susquehanna raised shares of Applied Materials from a “neutral” rating to a “positive” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $180.00 to $400.00 in a research report on Sunday, January 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday. Finally, KGI Securities upgraded shares of Applied Materials to an “outperform” rating and set a $425.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday. Twenty-eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $361.03.

Applied Materials Stock Up 9.1%

Applied Materials stock traded up $29.74 during trading on Friday, hitting $358.13. 10,392,368 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,276,872. The company has a current ratio of 2.61, a quick ratio of 1.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The business’s 50 day moving average is $293.46 and its 200 day moving average is $235.24. Applied Materials has a 52 week low of $123.74 and a 52 week high of $376.32. The company has a market capitalization of $284.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.22, a PEG ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 1.70.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.19 by $0.19. Applied Materials had a net margin of 24.67% and a return on equity of 39.26%. The company had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.88 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.38 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. Analysts predict that Applied Materials will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 609 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.53, for a total transaction of $155,617.77. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,127,653.89. This trade represents a 12.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Teri A. Little sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.24, for a total transaction of $952,960.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 84,351 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,095,782.24. This trade represents a 4.53% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 8,609 shares of company stock worth $2,044,898. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Applied Materials

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of AMAT. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Applied Materials by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 76,779,340 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $19,731,523,000 after acquiring an additional 330,197 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its position in Applied Materials by 1.0% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 38,920,984 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $7,125,265,000 after buying an additional 391,540 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors raised its position in Applied Materials by 119.8% during the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 32,707,049 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $8,405,458,000 after buying an additional 17,829,377 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 21,026,363 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $3,836,807,000 after acquiring an additional 407,282 shares during the period. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 72.5% in the 2nd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 13,564,120 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,483,183,000 after acquiring an additional 5,700,349 shares during the period. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Applied Materials News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat and strong Q2 outlook — AMAT reported $2.38 EPS (above consensus) and issued Q2 EPS and revenue guidance ahead of estimates, signaling demand strength into the new quarter. Applied Materials Q1 Earnings Beat Estimates, Revenues Fall Y/Y
• Positive Sentiment: AI-driven orders — Management and multiple reports say surging demand for AI processors and a tightening memory market are driving orders for AMAT’s chipmaking tools, underpinning the bullish guidance. Applied Materials jumps as AI demand drives chipmaking tool orders
• Positive Sentiment: Services and recurring revenue resiliency — Analysts note services/parts helped offset a modest Y/Y revenue decline, supporting margins and making results look more durable than raw revenue figures suggest. Applied Materials Q1 Earnings Beat Estimates, Revenues Fall Y/Y
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and higher price targets — Several firms (Needham, Mizuho, B. Riley and others) raised ratings or targets after the results/guidance, reinforcing buy-side momentum. Applied Materials price target raised by Needham Applied Materials price target raised by Mizuho B. Riley Raises Applied Materials Price Target
• Neutral Sentiment: Settlement resolves export probe — Applied reached a civil settlement with the U.S. Department of Commerce and says DOJ and SEC closed related probes, removing a regulatory overhang on the stock. Applied Materials Reaches Resolution with the U.S. Department of Commerce
• Negative Sentiment: Cash penalty and compliance questions — The settlement carries a $252.5M payment for past export-control lapses; while small vs. AMAT’s market cap, it is an expense and highlights past compliance weaknesses investors should monitor. Applied Materials to pay $252 million to resolve illegal chip exports, US says

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.