On July 27, Applied Materials rose 4.6% overnight, trading at $556.94/share, with turnover of $544,400.

On the news front, multiple investment banks have recently raised their price targets on the stock. HSBC on July 24 lifted its target from $522 to $683 while maintaining a Buy rating. Previously, Citi and UBS both raised their targets to $705. The FactSet consensus average target now stands at $641.61. Additionally, Jefferies upgraded its global wafer fabrication equipment market size forecast, projecting AI and HBM demand to drive the market to $253 billion by 2028. The company is scheduled to report fiscal third-quarter results on August 13, with consensus EPS expectations of $3.36, forming a near-term catalyst.

Within the Semiconductor Equipment sector, peer stocks broadly advanced, with Teradyne up 6.6%, Lam Research up 3.27%, KLA-Tencor up 3.1%, Amkor Technology up 2.52%, and ASML Holding up 1.23%.

(The above content is based on publicly available market information, generated by a program or algorithm, and is intended solely as a stock movement alert. It does not constitute investment advice or a basis for trading decisions.)