Source: Kiplinger
This article was originally published on Kiplinger – https://www.kiplinger.com/
I am very bullish on chip equipment maker Applied Materials (AMAT). And I am not alone. Top investors are also piling into the stock, which also has 100% Street support right now. Indeed, in the last three months, no less than 11 analysts have published buy ratings on AMAT. Most promisingly, their average price target of $69 indicates upside potential of over 28%.
The No. 2 analyst on TipRanks, B. Riley FBR’s Craig Ellis, has just met with AMAT management. He left the “upbeat” session with renewed conviction. Ellis explains why here: “We expect Memory spending sentiment to improve through 2018, and with that, we expect large-cap Semi Caps like AMAT (and KLAC and LRCX) to enjoy multiple expansion even as sell-side EPS grind higher.”
As for AMAT specifically, he says, “AMAT’s vast portfolio breadth and large revenue scale positions mgmt well to frame industry spending potential and we sense CFO Durn remains justifiably upbeat.” Indeed, Ellis’ $71 price target indicates big upside lied ahead of 28%.