Today's Analyst Stock Ratings | Upgrades, Downgrades

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Sep 28, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	11.21%	Shane BrettMorgan Stanley 75%	563 642	Previous Equal-Weight Current Equal-Weight	Get Alert
Sep 1, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	37.28%	Timothy ArcuriUBS 89%	675 695	Previous Buy Current Buy	Get Alert
Aug 25, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	16.54%	Vijay RakeshMizuho 84%	590 650	Previous Outperform Current Outperform	Get Alert
Aug 18, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	18.52%	Jim KelleherArgus Research 78%	500 600	Previous Buy Current Buy	Get Alert
Aug 14, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	67.9%	C.J. MuseCantor Fitzgerald 85%	850 850	Previous Overweight Current Overweight	Get Alert
Aug 14, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	28.4%	Brian ChinStifel 87%	650 650	Previous Buy Current Buy	Get Alert
Aug 14, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	48.15%	Steve BargerKeybanc 78%	750 750	Previous Overweight Current Overweight	Get Alert
Aug 14, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	19.51%	Melissa WeathersDeutsche Bank 78%	605 605	Previous Buy Current Buy	Get Alert
Aug 14, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	33.33%	Timothy ArcuriUBS 89%	675 705	Previous Buy Current Buy	Get Alert
Aug 14, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	15.56%	Christian SchwabCraig-Hallum 77%	530 585	Previous Buy Current Buy	Get Alert
Aug 14, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	38.27%	Stacy RasgonBernstein 76%	675 700	Previous Outperform Current Outperform	Get Alert
Aug 14, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	26.81%	Shane BrettMorgan Stanley 75%	642 646	Previous Equal-Weight Current Equal-Weight	Get Alert
Aug 14, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	38.27%	Krish SankarTD Cowen 79%	700 700	Previous Buy Current Buy	Get Alert
Aug 14, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	18.52%	Srini PajjuriRBC Capital 88%	520 600	Previous Outperform Current Outperform	Get Alert
Aug 14, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	38.27%	Craig EllisB. Riley Securities 84%	700 790	Previous Buy Current Buy	Get Alert
Aug 14, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	30.37%	Harlan SurJP Morgan 86%	515 660	Previous Overweight Current Overweight	Get Alert
Aug 14, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	28.4%	Vivek AryaB of A Securities 85%	650 720	Previous Buy Current Buy	Get Alert
Aug 14, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	46.17%	Charles ShiNeedham 83%	740 740	Previous Buy Current Buy	Get Alert
Aug 11, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	—	Sebastien NajiWilliam Blair 77%	—	Previous Current Market Perform	Get Alert
Aug 5, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	—	Stephan LingnauErste Group 6%	—	Previous Buy Current Hold	Get Alert
Jul 27, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	34.91%	Adithya MetukuHSBC 31%	522 683	Previous Buy Current Buy	Get Alert
Jul 15, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	39.26%	Timothy ArcuriUBS 89%	570 705	Previous Buy Current Buy	Get Alert
Jul 10, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	28.4%	Brian ChinStifel 87%	530 650	Previous Buy Current Buy	Get Alert
Jul 10, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	46.17%	Charles ShiNeedham 83%	530 740	Previous Buy Current Buy	Get Alert
Jul 9, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	38.27%	Krish SankarTD Cowen 79%	525 700	Previous Buy Current Buy	Get Alert
Jul 9, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	28.4%	Vijay RakeshMizuho 84%	540 650	Previous Outperform Current Outperform	Get Alert
Jul 6, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	27.8%	Shane BrettMorgan Stanley 75%	502 647	Previous Equal-Weight Current Equal-Weight	Get Alert
Jun 30, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	77.78%	Mehdi HosseiniSusquehanna 82%	575 900	Previous Positive Current Positive	Get Alert
Jun 29, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	67.9%	C.J. MuseCantor Fitzgerald 85%	650 850	Previous Overweight Current Overweight	Get Alert
Jun 29, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	48.15%	Steve BargerKeybanc 78%	550 750	Previous Overweight Current Overweight	Get Alert
Jun 26, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	46.17%	Joe QuatrochiWells Fargo 76%	715 740	Previous Overweight Current Overweight	Get Alert
Jun 26, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	56.05%	Craig EllisB. Riley Securities 84%	550 790	Previous Buy Current Buy	Get Alert
Jun 26, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	52.1%	Blayne CurtisJefferies 81%	510 770	Previous Buy Current Buy	Get Alert
Jun 23, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	42.22%	Vivek AryaB of A Securities 85%	540 720	Previous Buy Current Buy	Get Alert
Jun 22, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	41.23%	Joe QuatrochiWells Fargo 76%	520 715	Previous Overweight Current Overweight	Get Alert
Jun 17, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	40.25%	Atif MalikCitigroup 86%	550 710	Previous Buy Current Buy	Get Alert
Jun 11, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	16.54%	Tom O'MalleyBarclays 85%	500 590	Previous Overweight Current Overweight	Get Alert
Jun 10, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	12.59%	Timothy ArcuriUBS 89%	515 570	Previous Buy Current Buy	Get Alert
Jun 10, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	28.4%	C.J. MuseCantor Fitzgerald 85%	575 650	Previous Overweight Current Overweight	Get Alert
May 28, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	13.58%	C.J. MuseCantor Fitzgerald 85%	575 575	Previous Overweight Current Overweight	Get Alert
May 27, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	6.67%	Vijay RakeshMizuho 84%	500 540	Previous Outperform Current Outperform	Get Alert
May 19, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	-1.23%	James KelleherArgus Research 67%	420 500	Previous Buy Current Buy	Get Alert
May 18, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	-0.84%	Shane BrettMorgan Stanley 75%	502	Previous Overweight Current Equal-Weight	Get Alert
May 15, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	1.73%	Timothy ArcuriUBS 89%	480 515	Previous Buy Current Buy	Get Alert
May 15, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	8.64%	Atif MalikCitigroup 86%	520 550	Previous Buy Current Buy	Get Alert
May 15, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	6.67%	Vivek AryaB of A Securities 85%	465 540	Previous Buy Current Buy	Get Alert
May 15, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	8.64%	Melissa WeathersDeutsche Bank 78%	450 550	Previous Buy Current Buy	Get Alert
May 15, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	1.73%	Mark LipacisEvercore ISI Group 82%	480 515	Previous Outperform Current Outperform	Get Alert
May 15, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	3.7%	Krish SankarTD Cowen 79%	450 525	Previous Buy Current Buy	Get Alert
May 15, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	8.64%	Craig EllisB. Riley Securities 84%	530 550	Previous Buy Current Buy	Get Alert
May 15, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	8.64%	Chris CasoWolfe Research 85%	500 550	Previous Outperform Current Outperform	Get Alert
May 15, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	1.73%	Harlan SurJP Morgan 86%	400 515	Previous Overweight Current Overweight	Get Alert
May 15, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	0.74%	Blayne CurtisJefferies 81%	415 510	Previous Buy Current Buy	Get Alert
May 15, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	2.72%	James SchneiderGoldman Sachs 76%	390 520	Previous Buy Current Buy	Get Alert
May 15, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	-1.23%	Tom O'MalleyBarclays 85%	450 500	Previous Overweight Current Overweight	Get Alert
May 15, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	2.72%	Joe QuatrochiWells Fargo 76%	435 520	Previous Overweight Current Overweight	Get Alert
May 15, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	-1.23%	Vijay RakeshMizuho 84%	410 500	Previous Outperform Current Outperform	Get Alert
May 15, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	2.72%	Srini PajjuriRBC Capital 88%	500 520	Previous Outperform Current Outperform	Get Alert
May 15, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	13.58%	C.J. MuseCantor Fitzgerald 85%	550 575	Previous Overweight Current Overweight	Get Alert
May 15, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	8.64%	Steve BargerKeybanc 78%	450 550	Previous Overweight Current Overweight	Get Alert
May 15, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	4.69%	Charles ShiNeedham 83%	440 530	Previous Buy Current Buy	Get Alert
May 15, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	-0.84%	Shane BrettMorgan Stanley 75%	454 502	Previous Overweight Current Overweight	Get Alert
May 12, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	2.72%	Atif MalikCitigroup 86%	420 520	Previous Buy Current Buy	Get Alert
May 11, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	8.64%	C.J. MuseCantor Fitzgerald 85%	500 550	Previous Overweight Current Overweight	Get Alert
May 8, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	2.12%	Adithya MetukuHSBC 31%	517	Previous Initiates Current Buy	Get Alert
May 5, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	-10.32%	Shane BrettMorgan Stanley 75%	432 454	Previous Overweight Current Overweight	Get Alert
May 5, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	-1.23%	Jay GoldbergSeaport Global 64%	500	Previous Initiates Current Buy	Get Alert
May 4, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	-5.19%	Timothy ArcuriUBS 89%	430 480	Previous Buy Current Buy	Get Alert
Apr 13, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	-4.2%	Craig EllisB. Riley Securities 84%	450 485	Previous Buy Current Buy	Get Alert
Apr 9, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	-1.23%	Mehdi HosseiniSusquehanna 82%	435 500	Previous Positive Current Positive	Get Alert
Feb 25, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	-14.67%	Shane BrettMorgan Stanley 75%	420 432	Previous Overweight Current Overweight	Get Alert
Feb 17, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	-11.11%	Tom O'MalleyBarclays 85%	360 450	Previous Overweight Current Overweight	Get Alert
Feb 13, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	-7.16%	C.J. MuseCantor Fitzgerald 85%	425 470	Previous Overweight Current Overweight	Get Alert
Feb 13, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	-17.04%	Atif MalikCitigroup 86%	400 420	Previous Buy Current Buy	Get Alert
Feb 13, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	-22.96%	James SchneiderGoldman Sachs 76%	310 390	Previous Buy Current Buy	Get Alert
Feb 13, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	-11.11%	Brian ChinStifel 87%	340 450	Previous Buy Current Buy	Get Alert
Feb 13, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	-11.11%	Krish SankarTD Cowen 79%	315 450	Previous Buy Current Buy	Get Alert
Feb 13, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	-14.07%	Joe QuatrochiWells Fargo 76%	350 435	Previous Overweight Current Overweight	Get Alert
Feb 13, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	-11.11%	Craig EllisB. Riley Securities 84%	400 450	Previous Buy Current Buy	Get Alert
Feb 13, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	-19.01%	Vijay RakeshMizuho 84%	370 410	Previous Outperform Current Outperform	Get Alert
Feb 13, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	-11.11%	Steve BargerKeybanc 78%	380 450	Previous Overweight Current Overweight	Get Alert
Feb 13, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	-13.09%	Charles ShiNeedham 83%	390 440	Previous Buy Current Buy	Get Alert
Feb 10, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	-23.95%	Srini PajjuriRBC Capital 88%	385 385	Previous Outperform Current Outperform	Get Alert
Feb 4, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	-20.99%	Atif MalikCitigroup 86%	250 400	Previous Buy Current Buy	Get Alert
Feb 2, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	-28.1%	Shane BrettMorgan Stanley 75%	273 364	Previous Overweight Current Overweight	Get Alert
Jan 28, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	-26.91%	Vijay RakeshMizuho 84%	275 370	Previous Neutral Current Outperform	Get Alert
Jan 23, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	-22.96%	Melissa WeathersDeutsche Bank 78%	275 390	Previous Hold Current Buy	Get Alert
Jan 20, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	-22.96%	Charles ShiNeedham 83%	260 390	Previous Buy Current Buy	Get Alert
Jan 16, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	-24.94%	Steve BargerKeybanc 78%	285 380	Previous Overweight Current Overweight	Get Alert
Jan 15, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	-30.86%	Joe QuatrochiWells Fargo 76%	290 350	Previous Overweight Current Overweight	Get Alert
Jan 15, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	-28.89%	Tom O'MalleyBarclays 85%	250 360	Previous Equal-Weight Current Overweight	Get Alert
Jan 15, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	-23.95%	Srini PajjuriRBC Capital 88%	385	Previous Initiates Current Outperform	Get Alert
Jan 14, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	-32.84%	Brian ChinStifel 87%	250 340	Previous Buy Current Buy	Get Alert
Jan 13, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	-30.86%	Vivek AryaB of A Securities 85%	300 350	Previous Buy Current Buy	Get Alert
Jan 12, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	-20.99%	Mehdi HosseiniSusquehanna 82%	180 400	Previous Neutral Current Positive	Get Alert
Jan 8, 2026	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	-16.05%	C.J. MuseCantor Fitzgerald 85%	350 425	Previous Overweight Current Overweight	Get Alert
Dec 18, 2025	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	-39.75%	Craig EllisB. Riley Securities 84%	270 305	Previous Buy Current Buy	Get Alert
Dec 17, 2025	AMATApplied Materials	$506.25	-51.6%	Vijay RakeshMizuho 84%	205 245	Previous Neutral Current Neutral	Get Alert
Dec 15, 2025	AMATApplied Mat	$506.25	-28.89%	Blayne CurtisJefferies 81%	260 360	Previous Buy Current Buy	Get Alert
Dec 15, 2025	AMATApplied Mat	$506.25	-42.72%	Joe QuatrochiWells Fargo 76%	255 290	Previous Overweight Current Overweight	Get Alert

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What Are Analyst Stock Ratings?

Analyst ratings measure the expected performance of a stock during a given time period. Analysts and brokerage firms often use ratings when they issue stock recommendations to stock traders.

Analysts arrive at stock ratings after they research companies’ public financial statements, communicate with executives and customers and interact with companies in other ways.

Most analysts issue ratings 4 times a year, usually at 3-month intervals.

How to Use Analyst Ratings

As an investor or trader, you want to be able to use analyst ratings effectively. Here are steps you can take to understand how to synthesize all the information analysts report about a particular company and how to apply it to your own trades.

Step 1: Check Ratings History

In the short term, look to see whether analysts suggest an initiation, upgrade or downgrade for a particular stock. Understand how the rating changed compared to the previous rating and whether a price target gets announced or changed.

Sometimes the rating stays the same and only the price target changes, which could cause the stock to move in either direction, depending on the significance of the change between the 2 price targets.

Step 2: Check for Other News

In the short term, check to see how the stock reacts to positive or negative news. This will be an indication of the company’s outlook because analyst ratings usually come out after the company announces news (it’ll typically be earnings news).

Step 3: Look at the Sector for News

Check to see if other stocks in the sector also received similar ratings. This could indicate micro news, which refers to when the whole sector or specific company trades in a specific way due to news outside of one company.

Step 4: Look at the Note

If available, look over the analyst note itself. The beginning of the note has the main information of the rating and price target. Investors should also take a look at the summary of the note, which you can find in the first couple pages and give you a concrete overview of the company. This can help you get an understanding of how analysts arrived at their thesis on the stock.

An example of an analyst note. Source: Needham

Step 5: Make a Decision

After reviewing the analyst ratings (and whether the analyst proposes a change or initiation) and find the reason for that note. Make a decision based on the analyst thesis on the company. This should give you guidance on how to make your thesis. Analyst ratings are a good indication of what professionals believe the company or sector will do, helping you get a better understanding of the companies you’re interested in.

Analyst Rating Accuracy

Analyst ratings are not set in stone and nobody knows indefinitely what a stock will do. Therefore, analyst ratings should be taken as an educated guess made by professionals who carefully study the specific company and sector in question. It's not a surprise that the accuracy of each rating can vary by each individual analyst and specific ratings on companies.

In other words, there’s no hard number or percentage on how accurate analyst ratings are because they are like educated guesses on what they think the stock will do based on their research, within that particular sector. In addition, each firm has so many analysts and so many different companies to review that you can compare ratings to glean what you believe is the truth.

Where Analyst Ratings Come From

Analyst ratings come from stock analysts. Analysts “go deep” on companies within a particular industry or sector. Some analysts employ a top-down approach (they start with an industry or sector and look for excellent companies within that industry or sector) and other stock analysts choose a bottom-up approach, which means they start with the company first and connect the dots within that company’s sector or industry. Analysts evaluate:

Financial statements
Economic fundamentals
Suppliers, customers and competitors
Management quality
Business model
Revenue
Expenses
Assets
Liabilities

While these evaluations are done using facts and figures that any investor can access, they come down to a conclusion the analyst must draw. While this isn’t an unqualified opinion, analysts will disagree because their interpretations of the data could vary.

Types of Stock Ratings

Stock ratings can range from simple “buy” and “sell” ratings to “equal weight” and “outperform” ratings. Here’s a quick overview of how analysts rate stocks.

Buy Rating

A “buy” rating indicates that an analyst is optimistic about a stock’s short-term or mid-term growth and recommends that traders purchase the stock. An analyst may even go so far as to indicate that a stock is a “strong buy.” At the same time, you may choose to swing trade the asset for a profit and come back later to start the process all over again.

Sell Rating

A “sell” rating means that an analyst believes the stock will trend downward in a particular time frame. Analysts might even refer to a security as a “strong sell.” Remember, though, you may want to swing trade and come back to this asset in the future even though you just chose to sell, just as you would under a “buy” rating.

Hold

A “hold” rating suggests that investors should not buy more of or sell the specified stock because they believe the stock should perform in a way that’s consistent with the market or will perform similarly to comparable companies within that particular sector. This is akin to the value investing approach that Warren Buffett uses, looking to gain long-term value from a single stock rather than flipping it because of a bad week. As many have said, it’s not a loss until you sell.

Underperform

An “underperform” rating means an analyst indicates that a stock is expected to perform below the market or sector average. And yes, while the underperform rating may not bode well for an asset in the next few weeks, it may not stay that way. Continue to carefully monitor your portfolio to ensure that an underperforming asset hasn’t turned itself around. As companies are faced with the Herculean task of pleasing shareholders, they will push to fix their underperforming stocks, meaning that a stock you wrote off could rise again.

Outperform

An “outperform” rating means that an analyst expects a stock to outperform the market or sector average. While the stock may look to outperform the market or a sector’s average, that doesn’t mean it will continue to soar forever. You must look at an outperform rating as what that asset will do in recent times, but it may not maintain that trajectory.

Equal-Weight

An equal weight rating means that an analyst believes that an individual stock's performance will tie to the average of all the stocks that an analyst covers in that particular sector. This type of rating helps investors get a true comparison of stocks to each other within a particular sector or industry. At the same time, equal-weight ratings could change at any time.

Price Target

A price target is an analyst’s projection of a stock’s future price. A price target is generally set up in a general trade or area where the asset might land. This means that the analyst could get close without hitting the figure on the head. Even so, the analyst wants to get close and better predict the movement of the marketplace and the asset.

Understanding Stock Ratings

Stock ratings are assessments of the investment potential of a particular stock. They are typically created by financial analysts who evaluate a company's financial performance, competitive positioning, and market outlook to provide guidance on the stock's expected future performance.

Ratings typically range from "buy" to "sell," with variations in between, such as "hold," "accumulate," or "neutral." A "buy" rating suggests that the stock is likely to perform well in the future, and investors should consider purchasing it. Conversely, a "sell" rating indicates that the stock is expected to underperform, and investors should consider selling it.

It's important to note that ratings are not guarantees of performance and should not be relied upon solely when making investment decisions. Ratings are just one factor to consider when evaluating a stock's potential, and investors should also conduct their own research and analysis to make informed decisions.

Another thing to keep in mind is that different analysts may have different opinions on a stock, so it's a good idea to consider multiple ratings before making an investment decision.

In addition to analyst ratings, investors can also consider other factors when evaluating a stock, such as its financial statements, management team, industry trends, and overall market conditions. By combining all of these factors, investors can make informed decisions about which stocks to buy or sell.

In summary, stock ratings are an important tool for investors to consider when evaluating a stock's potential, but they should not be the only factor used in investment decision-making. It's important to conduct your own research, consider multiple ratings, and take into account other factors before making an investment decision.

Should You Use Analyst Ratings to Inform Your Own Trades?

You can definitely use analyst ratings to inform your own trades and inform your own thesis but it’s a good idea to do your own research. However, analyst ratings are just one step in what should be a much larger investment strategy. Don’t fall in love with just one analyst. Compare notes. Look into how these ratings match with activity on the market and current events. Plus, remember that an analyst rating could easily be incorrect. No one is perfect, but these ratings are a good place to start.

Visit Benzinga News for more guidance on how to research companies and make decisions about research, trading and investing.

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