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Why Is Applied Materials (AMAT) Down 3.3% Since Last Earnings Report?

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A month has gone by since the last earnings report for Applied Materials (AMAT - Free Report) . Shares have lost about 3.3% in that time frame, underperforming the S&P 500.

Will the recent negative trend continue leading up to its next earnings release, or is Applied Materials due for a breakout? Before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late, let's take a quick look at the most recent earnings report in order to get a better handle on the important catalysts.

Applied Materials’ Q1 Earnings & Sales Beat

Applied Materials reported first-quarter fiscal 2022 non-GAAP earnings of $1.89 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 2.2%. The bottom line improved 36% year over year but declined 2.6% on a sequential basis.

Net sales of $6.27 billion climbed 21% from the year-ago period’s levels and 2.4% from the previous quarter’s number. The figure also surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $6.17 billion.

A strong performance by the Semiconductor Systems and Applied Global Services segments drove year-over-year top-line growth.

The company witnessed solid growth in geographies, namely the United States, Japan, Taiwan, Southeast Asia and China, which was another positive.

However, sluggish Display revenues were concerning. Supply-chain constraints were some other major headwinds.

Nevertheless, management remains optimistic about the growing demand for semiconductor and wafer fab equipment.

Segments in Detail

Semiconductor Systems generated $4.6 billion of sales (which contributed 70.3% to its net sales), reflecting a year-over-year increase of 29%. The outperformance was driven by solid demand across foundry and logic. Strong growth in DRAM revenues created tailwinds. The growing customer momentum for integrated solutions was another positive.

Applied Global Services reported sales of $1.32 billion (22.4% of net sales), which rose 14% from the prior-year quarter’s level. Strong backlog in subscriptions and growth in multi-year subscription bookings contributed well.

Sales from Display and Adjacent Markets were $366 million (6.8% of net sales), down 10.9% from the year-ago level.

Revenues by Geography

The United States, Europe, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Southeast Asia and China generated sales of $847 million, $281 million, $561 million, $1.12 billion, $1.25 billion, $225 million and $1.99 billion, each contributing 14%, 4%, 9%, 18%, 20%, 3% and 32% to net sales, respectively.

On a year-over-year basis, sales in the United States, Japan, Taiwan, Southeast Asia and China increased 146.9%, 22.5%, 4.1%, 18.4% and 43.7%, respectively. Sales in Europe and Korea fell 6% and 13% from the year-ago quarter’s figures.

Operating Results

The non-GAAP gross margin was 47.3%, expanding 140 basis points (bps) from the year-ago quarter’s level.

Operating expenses were $983 million, down 7.8% from the year-ago quarter’s level. As a percentage of sales, the figure contracted 500 bps year over year to 15.7%.

The non-GAAP operating margin of 31.7% for the reported quarter expanded 270 bps from the prior-year period’s level.

Balance Sheet & Cash Flow

As of Jan 30, 2022, cash and cash equivalents balance, and short-term investments were $5.7 billion compared with $5.5 billion as of Oct 31, 2021.

Inventories were $4.5 billion in first-quarter fiscal 2022 compared with $4.3 billion in fourth-quarter fiscal 2021. Accounts receivables increased to $4.4 billion in the reported quarter from $4.9 billion in the previous quarter.

Long-term debt was $5.454 billion at the end of the reported quarter compared with $5.452 billion at the end of the previous quarter.

Applied Materials generated a cash flow of $2.7 billion, down from $1.15 billion in the prior quarter.

AMAT returned $2.02 billion to its shareholders, of which share repurchases were worth $1.8 billion and dividend payments were worth $214 million.

Guidance

For second-quarter fiscal 2022, Applied Materials expects net sales of $6.35 billion (+/-$300 million).

The company anticipates Semiconductor Systems, AGS and Display revenues to be $4.6 billion, $1.35 billion and $380 million, respectively.

Management expects non-GAAP earnings per share of $1.75-$2.05.

Applied Materials expects a non-GAAP gross margin of 47%.

How Have Estimates Been Moving Since Then?

In the past month, investors have witnessed a downward trend in estimates revision.

VGM Scores

Currently, Applied Materials has a strong Growth Score of A, though it is lagging a lot on the Momentum Score front with an F. However, the stock was allocated a grade of C on the value side, putting it in the middle 20% for this investment strategy.

Overall, the stock has an aggregate VGM Score of B. If you aren't focused on one strategy, this score is the one you should be interested in.

Outlook

Estimates have been broadly trending downward for the stock, and the magnitude of these revisions indicates a downward shift. Notably, Applied Materials has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). We expect an in-line return from the stock in the next few months.


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