Zacks Research Has Bearish Estimate for AMAT FY2027 Earnings

Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) - Equities researchers at Zacks Research reduced their FY2027 earnings per share estimates for shares of Applied Materials in a research note issued on Friday, January 17th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now forecasts that the manufacturing equipment provider will post earnings of $10.70 per share for the year, down from their previous forecast of $10.78. The consensus estimate for Applied Materials' current full-year earnings is $9.37 per share.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the company. TD Cowen reduced their price target on Applied Materials from $250.00 to $230.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 15th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $225.00 to $200.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Morgan Stanley restated an "underweight" rating and set a $164.00 price target (down previously from $179.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $250.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on Applied Materials from $270.00 to $250.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $218.95.

Applied Materials Stock Up 3.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ AMAT traded up $5.57 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $192.05. The company had a trading volume of 8,101,765 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,337,131. The stock has a market capitalization of $156.27 billion, a PE ratio of 22.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.53. Applied Materials has a twelve month low of $156.78 and a twelve month high of $255.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 1.87 and a current ratio of 2.51. The stock's 50 day moving average is $173.10 and its 200-day moving average is $190.58.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.19 by $0.13. Applied Materials had a net margin of 26.41% and a return on equity of 39.26%. The firm had revenue of $7.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.96 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.12 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 20th. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio is 18.58%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. grew its position in Applied Materials by 14.9% during the 2nd quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 11,927 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $2,815,000 after acquiring an additional 1,549 shares during the last quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 7.6% in the second quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 3,931 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $928,000 after buying an additional 278 shares in the last quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Applied Materials by 64.5% during the 2nd quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 14,177 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $3,346,000 after buying an additional 5,561 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Applied Materials by 9.2% during the 2nd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 137,188 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $32,375,000 after acquiring an additional 11,535 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 0.5% in the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 410,705 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $96,923,000 after acquiring an additional 2,222 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by 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.