Overview
- Seaport Research started coverage with a Buy and a $500 target, calling Applied Materials the best-positioned wafer equipment supplier and nearly as irreplaceable as ASML outside extreme ultraviolet lithography.
- Morgan Stanley raised its price target to $454 and said it expects a beat-and-raise at the next earnings report, pointing to strength in logic, high‑bandwidth memory, and advanced packaging.
- Shares have climbed roughly 58% to 60% this year, a surge that TheStreet noted already reflects high expectations for the business.
- Applied Materials increased its quarterly dividend by 15% to $0.53 per share and acquired NEXX to expand advanced packaging tools used to build larger, more efficient AI accelerators.
- Analysts cite the company’s broad tool lineup across deposition, etch, implant, CMP, and cleaning and its high DRAM exposure that benefits from rising demand for high‑bandwidth memory in AI systems.