William Blair Analysts Lift Earnings Estimates for AMAT

Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) - Research analysts at William Blair lifted their Q3 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Applied Materials in a research report issued on Thursday, February 13th. William Blair analyst J. Dorsheimer now forecasts that the manufacturing equipment provider will earn $2.38 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $2.36. The consensus estimate for Applied Materials' current full-year earnings is $9.41 per share. William Blair also issued estimates for Applied Materials' Q1 2026 earnings at $2.40 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $2.40 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $2.51 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $2.63 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $9.95 EPS.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.28 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a net margin of 22.95% and a return on equity of 39.50%.

AMAT has been the subject of a number of other research reports. KeyCorp raised shares of Applied Materials from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $225.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 29th. Mizuho dropped their price target on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $215.38.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT traded up $1.98 on Monday, hitting $176.04. The company's stock had a trading volume of 6,161,951 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,686,833. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $175.45 and a 200 day simple moving average of $183.98. The company has a market capitalization of $143.07 billion, a PE ratio of 23.01, a PEG ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.53. 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 has a 1 year low of $158.96 and a 1 year high of $255.89.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.91%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 20th. Applied Materials's payout ratio is presently 20.92%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Applied Materials

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AMAT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. DT Investment Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 592.9% in the 3rd quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 194 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Finally, YANKCOM Partnership bought a new position in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.