New York, Feb 18, 2026, 18:02 (EST) — After-hours
- Applied Materials shares closed up 2.8% at $369.30, less than 2% from last week’s 52-week high.
- AI-linked buying lifted U.S. stocks and kept semiconductor equipment names in focus.
- Investors are watching late-February product briefings and a run of March conference appearances.
Applied Materials shares ended up 2.8% at $369.30 in Wednesday’s regular session, leaving the chip-equipment maker just 1.9% below its Feb. 13 52-week high. Volume ran above its 50-day average as the stock posted a third straight gain. (MarketWatch)
Chip and AI-linked names helped push Wall Street higher after Meta Platforms said it had a long-term partnership to use Nvidia chips in its AI data centers, boosting Nvidia. That theme matters for Applied because big AI buildouts tend to show up first in chipmakers’ capital spending plans — and then in orders for wafer-fab tools, the machines that make chips. (AP News)
Traders also have a calendar marker next week: Nvidia said it will host its fourth-quarter results call on Wednesday, Feb. 25, at 2 p.m. PT (5 p.m. ET). The print can swing sentiment across the semiconductor supply chain, including equipment makers. (NVIDIA Newsroom)
Applied itself lit the fuse last week when it forecast second-quarter revenue of about $7.65 billion, plus or minus $500 million, and adjusted profit of about $2.64 per share, plus or minus 20 cents. Chief executive Gary Dickerson said the outlook was “fueled by the acceleration of industry investments in AI computing,” and Morningstar analyst William Kerwin said, “Artificial intelligence infrastructure demand is immense, and supply is scarce.” (Reuters)
There is still baggage. A Feb. 11 filing showed Applied agreed to pay $252.5 million to the U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security to settle an inquiry tied to certain China customer shipments, and to run internal audits while maintaining export-compliance training and reporting. (SEC)
On the near-term schedule, Applied said on Tuesday that Semiconductor Products Group president Prabu Raja will appear at Morgan Stanley’s Technology, Media & Telecom Conference on March 2, and CFO Brice Hill will speak at Cantor Fitzgerald’s Global Technology & Industrial Growth Conference on March 10. The company said it will webcast both sessions. (Nasdaq)
Investors also have a closer date to watch. On the earnings call, management flagged new product briefings at the SPIE Lithography and Patterning conference in San Jose on Feb. 24, and Hill told listeners he was “excited that our business is accelerating.” (Investing)
Corporate housekeeping is on deck, too. Applied’s annual meeting is set for March 12 at its corporate offices in Santa Clara, California, a proxy statement showed. (SEC)
The risk is that export rules tighten again or licensing drags out, pushing out China-related demand. Applied has said it expects chipmaking equipment spending in China to fall in 2026 as tighter U.S. export controls limit market access. (Reuters)
After Wednesday’s close, the next check on the rally comes fast: the Feb. 24 SPIE product briefings, then Nvidia’s Feb. 25 results — both likely to steer how traders handicap 2026 tool demand into next week.
