<div id="readability-page-1"><p>Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Wednesday. Stock traders bought  79,788 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 112% compared to the typical daily volume of 37,567 call options.</p><div><p><span></span><span>Get <strong>Applied Materials</strong> alerts:</span></p></div><h2>Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades</h2><ul><li>Applied Materials: Up 40% in 2025 With Room to Run Long-Term</li></ul><p>AMAT has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein  restated an &#34;outperform&#34; rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Daiwa America lowered shares of Applied Materials from a &#34;strong-buy&#34; rating to a &#34;hold&#34; rating in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. Bank of America upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a &#34;neutral&#34; rating to a &#34;buy&#34; rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $180.00 to $250.00 in a research report on Monday, October 13th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a &#34;strong sell&#34; rating to a &#34;hold&#34; rating in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald  restated an &#34;overweight&#34; rating and issued a $300.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, November 14th. Nineteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of &#34;Moderate Buy&#34; and an average target price of $226.74.</p><p><b>Get Our Latest Stock Report on AMAT</b></p><h2>Institutional Investors Weigh In On Applied Materials</h2><ul><li>3 Cash-Rich Stocks With High Growth Potential Right Now</li></ul><p>A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AMAT. Marquette Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of  Applied Materials by 150.0% in the 3rd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter.  Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of  Applied Materials in the third quarter valued at $26,000.  Manning &amp; Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of  Applied Materials during the third quarter valued at about $31,000.  Maseco LLP bought a new stake in shares of  Applied Materials during the second quarter worth about $30,000.  Finally, Financial Gravity Companies Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of  Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter worth about $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own  80.56% of the company's stock. </p><h2>Applied Materials Stock Up 4.5%</h2><p>Shares of Applied Materials stock traded up $10.11 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $235.23. 5,121,406 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,660,390. The firm has a market capitalization of $187.40 billion, a PE ratio of 27.99, a P/E/G ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 1.84. Applied Materials has a 1-year low of $123.74 and a 1-year high of $242.50. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $214.84 and a 200-day moving average price of $188.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 2.50 and a quick ratio of 1.76. </p><ul><li>Applied Materials' Knee-Jerk Sell-Off Is Your Signal to Buy</li></ul><p>Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.11 by $0.06. Applied Materials had a net margin of 23.88% and a return on equity of 40.96%. The company's revenue was down 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.32 earnings per share.  Applied Materials has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.980-2.380 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that  Applied Materials will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. </p><h2>Applied Materials Announces Dividend</h2><p>The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 20th. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio  is 21.20%. </p><h2>About Applied Materials</h2> (Get Free Report)<p>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.</p><h2>Featured Stories</h2><ul><li>Five stocks we like better than Applied Materials</li><li>What is the NASDAQ Stock Exchange?</li><li>Down 45% Year-to-Date, Novo Nordisk Ignites a Price War</li><li>What Investors Need to Know About Upcoming IPOs</li><li>Institutions Love These 3 Companies, Should You As Well?</li><li>What is a penny stock? A comprehensive guide</li><li>3 Data Center Stocks Are Soaring—Analysts Think 1 Could Go Higher</li></ul><p><em>This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.</em></p><h2>Should You Invest $1,000 in Applied Materials Right Now?</h2><p>Before you consider Applied Materials, you'll want to hear this.</p><p>MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Applied Materials wasn't on the list.</p><p>While Applied Materials currently has a Moderate Buy rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.</p><p>View The Five Stocks Here</p>                  </div>

AMAT

<p>Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) experienced a significant increase in options trading, with 79,788 call options purchased, marking a 112% rise from the average. Analysts have mixed ratings, with a consensus of 'Moderate Buy' and a target price of $226.74. The stock rose 4.5% to $235.23. The company reported strong earnings, declared a dividend, and has a positive outlook for future earnings.</p>

Applied Materials Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NASDAQ:AMAT)