$AMAT

ETFs, led by Capital Group Dividend Value ETF (CGDV), bought $237.0 million of Applied Materials (AMAT) stock on Nov. 2, with 51 ETFs buying and 26 selling. This follows a two-day streak of net inflows, with $57.2 million on Oct. 30. AMAT operates in the semiconductor equipment industry, with a market cap of $303.1 billion.

Applied Materials (AMAT) stock fell 29% in a month to $381.01, though it's still up 49% YTD. Rivals Lam Research (LRCX) and KLA (KLAC) also declined. AMAT's Q4 FY2026 earnings on Nov 12 will be key. The company faces risks from China export rules and AI spending. Management targets 2030 margins of 54% gross and 40% operating, with services revenue expected to exceed $12B by 2030.

Morgan Stanley kept its Equal-Weight rating on Applied Materials but reduced its price target to $538 from $563, a 4.4% cut. The new target suggests a 43.6% upside from the Nov 2 closing price of $374.53. Other recent analyst targets for the company range from $580 to $600.

Applied Materials (AMAT) fell 7.5% on Friday, impacted by Intel's forecast. The company plans to increase its stake in BE Semiconductor (BESI) to 20%. Applied guided Q4 revenue at $10.25B, up 51%, with EPS of $4.02. BESI's Q3 orders rose 96%, but its shares dropped 54% since June due to delayed hybrid bonding adoption.

Intel's weak guidance caused its shares to drop 29% on Friday, impacting U.S. and Asian markets. Taiwan's TAIEX index fell 812 points at open, with TSMC shares dropping below NT$2,310. Other tech stocks also declined, including AMD, Qualcomm, and Nvidia. Analysts attribute the sell-off to concerns over AI-related capital spending and U.S. economic data.

Gartner forecasts data center spending to reach $1.4 trillion by 2027, driven by AI and hyperscaler demand. Applied Materials (AMAT) reports strong Q3 2026 results with 25% revenue growth and raised guidance. The company expects semiconductor revenue to grow significantly through 2030, with WFE spending and services revenue also increasing. AMAT stock has dropped 35% since July, trading at $400 with a forward P/E of 23.

ASML and Applied Materials reported earnings growth, with ASML's net income more than doubling to $5.71B, while Applied Materials' rose 42.7% to $2.54B. ASML trades at 35x forward earnings, higher than Applied Materials' 31x. Year-to-date, ASML is up 56.6%, and Applied Materials is up 64.1%. ASML offers a 0.44% dividend yield, while Applied Materials provides 0.54%. Analysts rate both as 'Strong Buy' with significant upside potential.

Intel led a broad semiconductor sector selloff, with the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index down over 7%. Intel fell 28.33%, while other chipmakers like Qualcomm, SanDisk, and AMD saw declines ranging from 9.64% to 11.30%. Semiconductor equipment suppliers also dropped, with losses between 5.67% and 7.04%. The leveraged semiconductor fund SOXL fell over 24%.

Applied Materials (AMAT) stock rose 8.79% after announcing it would increase its stake in BE Semiconductor Industries (BESI) to 20%. The move ties AMAT closer to hybrid bonding, a key process for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) used in AI processors. AMAT's management expects hybrid bonding to double its served available market, with a potential total return of 91% and an annualized IRR of 18% by 2030, according to the company.

Applied Materials (AMAT) reported a 24.8% revenue increase in fiscal Q3 2026, with operating margins widening to 33.7%. The company increased capital spending to 9% of revenue, up from 2.8% historically, to expand capacity. Free cash flow decreased to $5.62B, and buybacks dropped to $2.03B. Management expects capital spending to decrease as a share of sales in 2027. The company also raised its stake in BE Semiconductor Industries to 20%.