Applied Materials surprised with a bullish forecast, offering a rare win for U.S. semiconductor names after a turbulent stretch. The chip equipment giant projected second-quarter revenue near $7.65 billion, give or take $500 million, and adjusted earnings of $2.64 a share, plus or minus 20 cents—both clearing Wall Street’s bar. The stock at one point soared more than 10% Friday. Competitors Lam Research and KLA moved higher as well. At least 22 analysts lifted price targets on Applied after the numbers came through. CEO Gary Dickerson credited “the acceleration of industry investments in AI computing” for the jump. Morningstar’s William Kerwin described the moment as “a massive wafer fabrication equipment growth cycle,” pointing to tight supply for high-bandwidth memory chips feeding AI processors.
