Applied Materials Rose 15% on Thursday and Is Still More Than 30% Below Its High. It Reports on Aug. 13.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ: AMAT) roseate astir 15% connected Thursday, July 30, without releasing immoderate quality of its own. Shares closed that time astatine $501.77 and edged higher again connected Friday, leaving them much than 30% abbreviated of their 52-week precocious of $739.67. And the company's adjacent accidental to warrant the determination arrives connected Thursday, Aug. 13, erstwhile it reports fiscal third-quarter results.

The catalyst was a peer, not Applied itself. Lam Research, which sells chip-manufacturing instrumentality into galore of the aforesaid factories, reported grounds June-quarter revenue, operating margin, and net per stock connected Wednesday, and it guided for astir $8.1 cardinal successful September-quarter revenue.

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Investors marked up instrumentality stocks crossed the committee connected Thursday, and Applied Materials, already up much than 200% from its 52-week debased of $154.47, moved with them.

The Aug. 13 trial

Applied's ain astir caller update supports the optimism. In May, the institution reported grounds fiscal second-quarter results: Revenue roseate 11% twelvemonth implicit twelvemonth to $7.91 billion, and non-GAAP (adjusted) net per stock grew 20% to $2.86. Management guided for fiscal third-quarter gross of astir $8.95 billion, positive oregon minus $500 million, which would beryllium different record. Also worthy noting, Applied raised its quarterly dividend 15% this year, to $0.53 per share, its ninth consecutive yearly increase.

CEO Gary Dickerson said astatine the clip that the institution expects its semiconductor instrumentality concern to turn much than 30% successful calendar 2026. In the net release, helium said the artificial quality (AI) build-out, combined with the company's positions successful leading-edge logic, DRAM, and precocious packaging, provides "an exceptionally beardown instauration for sustained, multi-year gross and nett growth."

So the Aug. 13 study has 2 jobs. It needs to present connected the astir $9 cardinal gross guide, and it needs to amusement request beardown capable to backmost that 30% maturation telephone for the calendar year.

Until then, Thursday's summation is simply a stake connected results Applied hasn't reported yet. The AI spending question that lifted Lam Research favors the full instrumentality group, and Applied's May numbers suggest it is riding the aforesaid demand.

But a determination this ample gets confirmed connected net day, and investors volition get their reply successful little than 2 weeks.