Applied Materials dominated analyst activity this week. Three top firms — JP Morgan, Jefferies, and Goldman Sachs — all raised their price targets simultaneously. Goldman lifted its target to $520. JP Morgan moved to $515. Jefferies set $510. All three maintained Buy ratings. The consensus target was previously around $400.
That's a 25–30% upward revision across the board. It signals renewed confidence in semiconductor equipment demand. AMAT carries a market cap of $346 billion. Short interest sits at just 2% of free float.
In a contrarian call, Piper Sandler initiated Estée Lauder with a Buy. The firm set a $95 target. The beauty giant has had a brutal 18 months. Its market cap has dropped to under $20 billion. Short interest is modest at 3% of free float. Piper sees recovery potential.
In the restaurant sector, analysts trimmed targets on Yum! Brands and Darden Restaurants. Both saw small downward target price revisions. McDonald's and each lost one analyst recommendation but held their broader consensus intact.
Walmart got a target bump to $137 from Piper Sandler. Biogen also received a raised target to $225 on continued drug pipeline optimism.
ORTEX Market Intelligence content is generated by AI from a snapshot of ORTEX's proprietary data. Content is informational only and does not constitute investment advice.
