What is Zacks Research’s Forecast for AMAT FY2026 Earnings?

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

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 topic of a number of other research reports. TD Cowen lowered their price target on Applied Materials from $250.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 15th. KeyCorp upgraded Applied Materials from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $225.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $250.00 to $235.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $210.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $215.38.

Applied Materials Trading Up 2.7 %

AMAT stock opened at $155.68 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.96, a current ratio of 2.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Applied Materials has a 52-week low of $149.55 and a 52-week high of $255.89. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $173.96 and its 200-day simple moving average is $180.81. The firm has a market cap of $126.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.35, a PEG ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.62.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 271 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.72, for a total value of $46,807.12. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 6,479 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,119,052.88. This represents a 4.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Applied Materials

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AMAT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new stake in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. YANKCOM Partnership acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 61.4% during the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 213 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

About Applied Materials

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.