Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Shares Gap Up - Time to Buy?
Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) shares gapped up from $178.13 to $188.00, closing at $190.44 with a trading volume of 3.27 million. Analysts have mixed views, with Wolfe Research and TD Cowen lowering their price targets to $200.00 while maintaining positive ratings. The company reported Q3 earnings of $2.48 EPS, exceeding estimates, and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.46. Institutional investors have increased their stakes significantly, indicating strong interest in the stock.
Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report)'s share price gapped up before the market opened on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $178.13, but opened at $188.00. Applied Materials shares last traded at $190.44, with a volume of 3,277,027 shares trading hands.
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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
- Applied Materials' Knee-Jerk Sell-Off Is Your Signal to Buy
Several brokerages recently commented on AMAT. Wolfe Research cut their target price on Applied Materials from $230.00 to $200.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 15th. TD Cowen decreased their target price on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Cantor Fitzgerald reduced their price target on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $200.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Daiwa America lowered Applied Materials from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn lowered Applied Materials from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $200.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Monday, July 7th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $192.92.
Get Our Latest Analysis on Applied Materials
Applied Materials Stock Up 7.0%
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The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $176.62 and its 200 day simple moving average is $164.99. The company has a current ratio of 2.50, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $151.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.73, a P/E/G ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.77.
Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.48 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.36 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $7.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.21 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 23.88% and a return on equity of 40.96%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.12 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 1.910-2.310 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Applied Materials Dividend Announcement
- AI Chip Arms Race: 3 Must-Watch Equipment Stocks
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 20th will be issued a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 20th. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.93%.
Insider Activity at Applied Materials
In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 562 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.60, for a total transaction of $100,373.20. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 5,300 shares in the company, valued at approximately $946,580. This trade represents a 9.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company's stock.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Applied Materials
A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AMAT. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 972.2% in the 1st quarter. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 193 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Maseco LLP bought a new stake in Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd raised its stake in Applied Materials by 435.0% in the 1st quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 214 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares during the period. Finally, Activest Wealth Management raised its stake in Applied Materials by 5,325.0% in the 1st quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 217 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 213 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company's stock.
Applied Materials Company Profile
(Get Free Report)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.
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