Sterling Investment Counsel LLC Reduces Position in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Sterling Investment Counsel LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 33.0% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,349 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 665 shares during the quarter. Sterling Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $247,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Applied Materials by 972.2% during the first quarter. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 193 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the first quarter worth about $29,000. Maseco LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the second quarter worth about $30,000. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd increased its position in shares of Applied Materials by 435.0% during the first quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 214 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Activest Wealth Management increased its position in shares of Applied Materials by 5,325.0% during the first quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 217 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 213 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of AMAT stock opened at $223.59 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 2.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The business has a 50 day moving average of $178.86 and a two-hundred day moving average of $168.87. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $123.74 and a 52 week high of $226.41. The company has a market cap of $178.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.65, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.82.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.48 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.36 by $0.12. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 40.96% and a net margin of 23.88%.The company had revenue of $7.30 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.21 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.12 earnings per share. Applied Materials’s quarterly revenue was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 1.910-2.310 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 20th will be given a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 20th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is currently 21.93%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AMAT has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Rothschild & Co Redburn lowered Applied Materials from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $200.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Monday, July 7th. TD Cowen decreased their price target on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 15th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Applied Materials from $215.00 to $205.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 15th. Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $180.00 price target (down from $190.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, August 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Applied Materials from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 15th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $194.15.

About Applied Materials

Applied Materials, Inc engages in the provision of manufacturing equipment, services, and software to the semiconductor, display, and related industries. The company operates through three segments: Semiconductor Systems, Applied Global Services, and Display and Adjacent Markets. The Semiconductor Systems segment develops, manufactures, and sells various manufacturing equipment that is used to fabricate semiconductor chips or integrated circuits.