Zacks Research Has Pessimistic View of AMAT FY2026 Earnings

Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) – Investment analysts at Zacks Research decreased their FY2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Applied Materials in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, March 6th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now forecasts that the manufacturing equipment provider will post earnings of $9.33 per share for the year, down from their previous forecast of $10.16. The consensus estimate for Applied Materials’ current full-year earnings is $9.38 per share.

A number of other brokerages have also commented on AMAT. Susquehanna raised their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on Applied Materials from $260.00 to $250.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 15th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Applied Materials from $250.00 to $235.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Needham & Company LLC dropped their price target on Applied Materials from $200.00 to $195.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price objective on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $215.38.

Applied Materials Trading Up 2.7 %

AMAT stock opened at $155.68 on Monday. Applied Materials has a 12 month low of $149.55 and a 12 month high of $255.89. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $173.96 and its 200 day moving average is $180.81. The company has a market capitalization of $126.48 billion, a PE ratio of 20.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 2.67 and a quick ratio of 1.96.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.28 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 39.50% and a net margin of 22.95%.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.03%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is 20.92%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 271 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.72, for a total transaction of $46,807.12. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 6,479 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,119,052.88. The trade was a 4.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Applied Materials

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. YANKCOM Partnership acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, City Holding Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Company Profile

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.