Applied Materials (AMAT) Stock Moves -0.91%: What You Should Know

Applied Materials (AMAT) closed the most recent trading day at $200.13, moving -0.91% from the previous trading session. The stock exceeded the S&P 500, which registered a loss of 0.96% for the day. Elsewhere, the Dow saw a downswing of 0.94%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq depreciated by 1.18%.Shares of the maker of chipmaking equipment have appreciated by 15.58% over the course of the past month, outperforming the Computer and Technology sector's gain of 7.35% and the S&P 500's gain of 4.3%.The investment community will be paying close attention to the earnings performance of Applied Materials in its upcoming release. The company is expected to report EPS of $2.18, up 2.83% from the prior-year quarter. Meanwhile, the latest consensus estimate predicts the revenue to be $6.94 billion, indicating a 3.23% increase compared to the same quarter of the previous year.For the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $8.49 per share and revenue of $27.07 billion, which would represent changes of +5.47% and +2.09%, respectively, from the prior year.Investors should also note any recent changes to analyst estimates for Applied Materials. These revisions typically reflect the latest short-term business trends, which can change frequently. As a result, we can interpret positive estimate revisions as a good sign for the company's business outlook.Our research reveals that these estimate alterations are directly linked with the stock price performance in the near future. Investors can capitalize on this by using the Zacks Rank. This model considers these estimate changes and provides a simple, actionable rating system.The Zacks Rank system, running from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), holds an admirable track record of superior performance, independently audited, with #1 stocks contributing an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.21% higher. Right now, Applied Materials possesses a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).From a valuation perspective, Applied Materials is currently exchanging hands at a Forward P/E ratio of 23.8. Its industry sports an average Forward P/E of 28.44, so one might conclude that Applied Materials is trading at a discount comparatively.We can also see that AMAT currently has a PEG ratio of 2.4. 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. The Semiconductor Equipment - Wafer Fabrication industry had an average PEG ratio of 2.23 as trading concluded yesterday.The Semiconductor Equipment - Wafer Fabrication industry is part of the Computer and Technology sector. At present, this industry carries a Zacks Industry Rank of 16, placing it within the top 7% of over 250 industries.The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.Ensure to harness Zacks.com to stay updated with all these stock-shifting metrics, among others, in the next trading sessions.Infrastructure Stock Boom to Sweep AmericaA massive push to rebuild the crumbling U.S. infrastructure will soon be underway. It’s bipartisan, urgent, and inevitable. Trillions will be spent. Fortunes will be made.The only question is “Will you get into the right stocks early when their growth potential is greatest?”Zacks has released a Special Report to help you do just that, and today it’s free. Discover 5 special companies that look to gain the most from construction and repair to roads, bridges, and buildings, plus cargo hauling and energy transformation on an almost unimaginable scale.Download FREE: How To Profit From Trillions On Spending For Infrastructure >>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