New York, January 7, 2026, 15:04 EST — Regular session
- AMAT down about 1.1% in afternoon trade after notching a 52-week high a day earlier
- Chip-tool peers Lam Research and KLA also fall; Nvidia rises as China chip headlines swirl
- Investors look next to Applied’s February earnings update for demand and guidance signals
Applied Materials shares fell about 1.1% to $292.66 in afternoon trade on Wednesday, easing alongside other chip-equipment names. Lam Research and KLA were also lower, while Nvidia rose, and Applied traded between $286.90 and $295.05.
The move matters because chip-tool makers have turned into a clean read on how long the industry’s spending cycle can run. Investors have piled in on the view that demand tied to artificial intelligence keeps chip plants busy and pushes customers to add capacity.
Applied sells the machinery that helps make chips — deposition and etch tools, among others — so its shares often move on shifts in expectations for factory spending. When the stock stalls after a run, it can signal profit-taking more than a change in fundamentals, but it also shows how crowded the trade has become.
The stock closed up 4.11% at $296.01 on Tuesday, its third straight gain and a new 52-week high, MarketWatch data showed. That close topped a prior peak of $287.74 set on Jan. 5. 1
Headlines out of CES added another layer. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said approvals for H200 chips in China may not come with fanfare — “It’s just going to be purchase orders” — and CFO Colette Kress said the U.S. government is “working feverishly” on export license applications. Reuters also reported Beijing had asked some Chinese tech firms to halt orders for Nvidia’s H200 chips, citing The Information. 2
Applied also disclosed routine insider activity. Regulatory filings showed controller Adam Sanders and services executive Timothy Deane had shares automatically withheld at $256.99 apiece to cover taxes when restricted stock units — a common form of equity pay — vested. 3
Investors now look to Applied’s next quarterly report, estimated for Feb. 12 after the bell, for a read on customer budgets and the tone on China. MarketBeat said the earnings date has not been confirmed by the company, but is based on past reporting schedules. 4
But there’s a downside case. If the AI-driven buildout turns uneven, or customers push out orders, the stocks can deflate fast. Zacks Equity Research also pointed to export restrictions, a slow recovery in the memory market and higher operating costs as pressure points for Applied’s near-term outlook. 5
For now, traders will keep one eye on CES headlines and on any shift in the China export-licensing narrative that could ripple through chip demand. The next hard catalyst for AMAT is that Feb. 12 earnings update.
