AMAT
Applied Materials Inc. Technology - Semiconductor Equipment Investor Relations →
Applied Materials Inc. (AMAT) closed at $322.51 as of 2026-02-02, trading 101.7% above its 200-week moving average of $159.91. The stock is currently moving closer to the line, down from 102.9% last week. With a 14-week RSI of 82, AMAT is in overbought territory.
Over the past 2346 weeks of data, AMAT has crossed below its 200-week moving average 40 times. On average, these episodes lasted 16 weeks. Historically, investors who bought AMAT at the start of these episodes saw an average one-year return of +37.9%.
With a market cap of $256.0 billion, AMAT is a large-cap stock. The company generates a free cash flow yield of 1.4%. Return on equity stands at 35.5%, indicating strong profitability. The stock trades at 12.5x book value.
The company has been aggressively buying back shares, reducing its share count by 6.0% over the past three years. AMAT passes our Buffett quality screen: high return on equity, low debt, and positive free cash flow.
Over the past 33.2 years, a hypothetical investment of $100 in AMAT would have grown to $40706, compared to $2849 for the S&P 500. That represents an annualized return of 19.9% vs 10.6% for the index — confirming AMAT as a market-beating investment and the kind of quality company where buying during 200-week moving average touches has historically been rewarded.
In the past 12 months, corporate insiders have made 1 open-market purchase totaling $6,865,082.
Free cash flow has been volatile over the past several years, making the quality of earnings harder to assess.
Growth of $100: AMAT vs S&P 500
Monthly data normalized to $100 at start. Vertical dashed lines mark 200-week MA touches.
What Happens After AMAT Crosses Below the Line?
Across 28 historical episodes, buying AMAT when it crossed below its 200-week moving average produced an average return of +50.2% after 12 months (median +15.0%), compared to +10.8% for the S&P 500 over the same periods. 58% of those episodes were profitable after one year. After 24 months, the average return was +90.9% vs +29.0% for the index.
Each line shows $100 invested at the moment AMAT crossed below its 200-week MA. Bold blue = stock average. Gray dashed = S&P 500 average over same periods.
Historical Touches
AMAT has crossed below its 200-week MA 40 times with an average 1-year return of +37.9% after recovery.
| Crossed Below | Recovered | Weeks | Max Depth | 1-Year Return | Return Since Touch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 1981 | Mar 1981 | 2 | 5.8% | -39.7% | +292145.6% |
| Jul 1981 | Oct 1982 | 67 | 40.3% | -31.8% | +268078.2% |
| Jul 1984 | Jul 1984 | 1 | 4.3% | -4.1% | +232504.3% |
| Oct 1984 | Dec 1984 | 10 | 12.3% | -12.0% | +247673.1% |
| Apr 1985 | May 1985 | 3 | 8.5% | +22.4% | +232504.3% |
| May 1985 | Feb 1986 | 38 | 31.2% | +13.7% | +223382.0% |
| Mar 1986 | Mar 1986 | 1 | 1.1% | +22.7% | +207128.8% |
| Mar 1986 | Apr 1986 | 3 | 9.0% | +30.9% | +209994.1% |
| Jun 1986 | Feb 1987 | 35 | 42.8% | +64.8% | +210966.2% |
| Nov 1987 | Dec 1987 | 5 | 6.6% | +53.6% | +203428.6% |
| Nov 1988 | Nov 1988 | 1 | 1.2% | +45.3% | +163894.5% |
| Sep 1990 | Jan 1991 | 19 | 33.6% | +17.5% | +117401.1% |
| Sep 1991 | Dec 1991 | 9 | 11.3% | +116.8% | +119874.7% |
| Jul 1996 | Sep 1996 | 9 | 10.2% | +228.5% | +14290.9% |
| Oct 1996 | Nov 1996 | 2 | 2.9% | +149.1% | +13214.9% |
| Aug 1998 | Oct 1998 | 6 | 4.9% | +225.8% | +7398.4% |
| Sep 2001 | Dec 2001 | 17 | 33.6% | -35.7% | +2110.6% |
| Jan 2002 | Feb 2002 | 6 | 9.6% | -32.9% | +2106.8% |
| Apr 2002 | May 2002 | 1 | 5.7% | -31.7% | +1908.2% |
| May 2002 | Jan 2004 | 84 | 53.8% | -29.8% | +1907.3% |
| Jan 2004 | Mar 2004 | 10 | 6.9% | -30.8% | +1877.0% |
| Apr 2004 | Jul 2005 | 66 | 21.5% | -30.3% | +2040.5% |
| Aug 2005 | Nov 2005 | 16 | 8.8% | -12.5% | +2389.6% |
| May 2006 | Sep 2006 | 19 | 14.9% | +12.2% | +2501.3% |
| Oct 2006 | Nov 2006 | 3 | 2.4% | +17.8% | +2448.0% |
| Dec 2007 | Jan 2008 | 4 | 7.0% | -35.4% | +2483.1% |
| Jul 2008 | Aug 2008 | 2 | 4.0% | -20.9% | +2430.8% |
| Sep 2008 | Jan 2011 | 123 | 52.2% | -20.0% | +2400.5% |
| May 2011 | Jan 2012 | 36 | 21.9% | -19.4% | +2932.4% |
| Feb 2012 | Mar 2012 | 2 | 1.5% | +14.8% | +3145.6% |
| Apr 2012 | Aug 2012 | 18 | 16.1% | +13.2% | +3196.8% |
| Sep 2012 | Jan 2013 | 17 | 13.6% | +43.2% | +3308.8% |
| Aug 2015 | Oct 2015 | 9 | 9.1% | +95.6% | +2267.6% |
| Jan 2016 | Jan 2016 | 1 | 2.4% | +113.6% | +2153.1% |
| Feb 2016 | Feb 2016 | 1 | 3.2% | +123.6% | +2155.9% |
| Oct 2018 | Oct 2018 | 1 | 2.2% | +75.7% | +980.1% |
| Dec 2018 | Dec 2018 | 3 | 9.2% | +86.7% | +964.5% |
| Mar 2020 | Apr 2020 | 3 | 10.6% | +206.0% | +795.6% |
| Sep 2022 | Oct 2022 | 4 | 11.8% | +70.6% | +305.4% |
| Mar 2025 | Apr 2025 | 3 | 12.1% | N/A | +156.0% |
| Average | 16 | — | +37.9% | — |
Not financial advice. This is an educational tool. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Do your own research before making investment decisions.
Data as of Friday close, 2026-02-02