Applied Materials (AMAT) – Investment Analysts’ Weekly Ratings Updates

A number of firms have modified their ratings and price targets on shares of Applied Materials (NASDAQ: AMAT) recently:

• 9/20/2024 – Applied Materials had its price target lowered by analysts at Mizuho from $245.00 to $225.00. They now have an “outperform” rating on the stock.
• 9/17/2024 – Applied Materials had its price target lowered by analysts at Morgan Stanley from $224.00 to $185.00. They now have an “equal weight” rating on the stock.
• 9/16/2024 – Applied Materials was downgraded by analysts at Dbs Bank from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating.
• 9/16/2024 – Applied Materials had its price target lowered by analysts at Citigroup Inc. from $240.00 to $217.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
• 9/14/2024 – Applied Materials was downgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating.
• 9/12/2024 – Applied Materials had its price target lowered by analysts at UBS Group AG from $220.00 to $210.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.
• 9/5/2024 – Applied Materials was downgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating.
• 8/16/2024 – Applied Materials had its “overweight” rating reaffirmed by analysts at Cantor Fitzgerald. They now have a $250.00 price target on the stock.
• 8/16/2024 – Applied Materials had its price target raised by analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $240.00 to $250.00. They now have an “overweight” rating on the stock.
• 8/16/2024 – Applied Materials had its price target lowered by analysts at Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft from $260.00 to $230.00. They now have a “hold” rating on the stock.
• 8/16/2024 – Applied Materials had its price target raised by analysts at Morgan Stanley from $223.00 to $224.00. They now have an “equal weight” rating on the stock.
• 8/16/2024 – Applied Materials had its price target lowered by analysts at B. Riley from $300.00 to $280.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
• 8/16/2024 – Applied Materials had its price target lowered by analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from $275.00 to $270.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
• 8/16/2024 – Applied Materials had its “buy” rating reaffirmed by analysts at Needham & Company LLC. They now have a $260.00 price target on the stock.
• 8/5/2024 – Applied Materials had its price target lowered by analysts at UBS Group AG from $235.00 to $220.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.
• 8/5/2024 – Applied Materials had its price target lowered by analysts at Citigroup Inc. from $250.00 to $240.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.

Applied Materials Stock Up 1.0 %

NASDAQ:AMAT traded up $1.88 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $194.04. 4,110,552 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,105,834. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $198.35 and a 200 day moving average price of $210.17. The company has a current ratio of 2.86, a quick ratio of 2.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. Applied Materials, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $129.21 and a fifty-two week high of $255.89. The firm has a market cap of $160.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.30, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.55.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 15th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.12 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.02 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.74% and a return on equity of 39.99%. The business had revenue of $6.78 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.68 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.90 earnings per share. Applied Materials’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 21st will be paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.82%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 21st. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.39%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Applied Materials

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Greater Midwest Financial Group LLC increased its position in Applied Materials by 10.2% during the second quarter. Greater Midwest Financial Group LLC now owns 16,904 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $3,989,000 after buying an additional 1,564 shares during the last quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. increased its position in Applied Materials by 24.9% during the second quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 3,172 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $749,000 after buying an additional 633 shares during the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC increased its position in Applied Materials by 16.7% during the second quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 15,405 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $3,635,000 after buying an additional 2,205 shares during the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund boosted its holdings in Applied Materials by 139.0% during the second quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 1,024,083 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $241,673,000 after acquiring an additional 595,594 shares during the period. Finally, KP Management LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials during the second quarter valued at about $2,360,000. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.