New York, February 9, 2026, 18:43 EST — After-hours
Applied Materials shares rose 2.5% in regular trading on Monday and were last at $330.57 in after-hours dealings. The chip-equipment maker traded between $315.70 and $332.35 during the session.
The move put the focus back on next week’s results, not last week’s selloff. Investors are positioning for a read on chipmaking-tool demand and how much of that strength is tied to memory and data-center spending.
The broader chip complex caught a bid. The VanEck Semiconductor ETF rose 1.2%, with Nvidia up 2.4%, AMD up 3.6% and U.S.-listed Taiwan Semiconductor up 1.8%. Among big equipment names, ASML gained 1.1%, while Lam Research and KLA dipped.
Applied Materials is due to report fiscal first-quarter results on Thursday and will hold an earnings conference call at 4:30 p.m. ET, the company has said.
Zacks Investment Research put consensus revenue for the quarter at $6.89 billion, against the company’s own outlook of $6.85 billion, plus or minus $500 million. Zacks pegged consensus non-GAAP earnings at $2.19 per share, versus Applied’s forecast of $2.18, plus or minus 20 cents; non-GAAP results strip out certain items the company does not treat as part of core performance.
The bigger overhang sits in China. In November, Applied said spending on chipmaking equipment in China would fall in 2026 as tighter U.S. export controls limited its market access, even as it pointed to stronger overall revenue in the second half of 2026. CFO Brice Hill said customers were signalling wafer-fab equipment spending “is likely to accelerate beginning in the second half of calendar 2026.” CEO Gary Dickerson said foreign rivals “don’t have the same restrictions.” Reuters
That backdrop leaves Thursday’s call as much about guidance as the print itself. Any change in how the company talks about shipments to China, licensing uncertainty or order timing can move a stock that has been trading with the sector, and sometimes harder.
Memory demand is another swing factor. DRAM — a type of memory chip used in servers — has been central to the current equipment debate, alongside advanced packaging, where manufacturers stack and connect chips more tightly to boost performance.
But the setup cuts both ways. A cautious outlook, delays in customer spending or new export limits would pressure sentiment quickly, and there’s little cushion if the company’s next-quarter view undershoots expectations.
The next catalyst is Thursday’s results and conference call, with investors looking for fresh numbers and a tighter read on 2026 demand drivers.
