Applied Materials (AMAT) Stock Moves -0.43%: What You Should Know

Applied Materials (AMAT) closed the latest trading day at $166.83, indicating a -0.43% change from the previous session's end. The stock's performance was ahead of the S&P 500's daily loss of 1.11%. On the other hand, the Dow registered a loss of 0.77%, and the technology-centric Nasdaq decreased by 1.49%.Prior to today's trading, shares of the maker of chipmaking equipment had lost 2.2% over the past month. This has lagged the Computer and Technology sector's gain of 5.27% and the S&P 500's gain of 0.4% in that time.The investment community will be closely monitoring the performance of Applied Materials in its forthcoming earnings report. The company's earnings per share (EPS) are projected to be $2.28, reflecting a 7.04% increase from the same quarter last year. In the meantime, our current consensus estimate forecasts the revenue to be $7.16 billion, indicating a 6.74% growth compared to the corresponding quarter of the prior year.For the entire fiscal year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $9.38 per share and a revenue of $29.34 billion, representing changes of +8.44% and +7.98%, respectively, from the prior year.It is also important to note the recent changes to analyst estimates for Applied Materials. These latest adjustments often mirror the shifting dynamics of short-term business patterns. Therefore, positive revisions in estimates convey analysts' confidence in the company's business performance and profit potential.Research indicates that these estimate revisions are directly correlated with near-term share price momentum. We developed the Zacks Rank to capitalize on this phenomenon. Our system takes these estimate changes into account and delivers a clear, actionable rating model.The Zacks Rank system, ranging from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), possesses a remarkable history of outdoing, externally audited, with #1 stocks returning an average annual gain of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, there's been a 1.66% fall in the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate. Applied Materials currently has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).Looking at its valuation, Applied Materials is holding a Forward P/E ratio of 17.86. This denotes a discount relative to the industry's average Forward P/E of 39.71.Also, we should mention that AMAT has a PEG ratio of 1.75. The PEG ratio is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but this metric also takes the company's expected earnings growth rate into account. As of the close of trade yesterday, the Electronics - Semiconductors industry held an average PEG ratio of 2.19.The Electronics - Semiconductors industry is part of the Computer and Technology sector. This industry, currently bearing a Zacks Industry Rank of 131, finds itself in the bottom 48% echelons of all 250+ industries.The Zacks Industry Rank is ordered from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.You can find more information on all of these metrics, and much more, on Zacks.com.Zacks Naming Top 10 Stocks for 2025Want to be tipped off early to our 10 top picks for the entirety of 2025?History suggests their performance could be sensational.From 2012 (when our Director of Research Sheraz Mian assumed responsibility for the portfolio) through November, 2024, the Zacks Top 10 Stocks gained +2,112.6%, more than QUADRUPLING the S&P 500’s +475.6%. Now Sheraz is combing through 4,400 companies to handpick the best 10 tickers to buy and hold in 2025. Don’t miss your chance to get in on these stocks when they’re released on January 2.Be First to New Top 10 Stocks >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT): Free Stock Analysis ReportTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks