Vantus Wealth LLC Purchases New Shares in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Vantus Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 1,421 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $365,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 48.7% during the 4th quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Applied Materials by 52.4% during the 4th quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 128 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the period. Finally, IMG Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in Applied Materials by 147.2% in the 4th quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 131 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Applied Materials stock opened at $490.05 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $389.08 billion, a PE ratio of 46.01, a P/E/G ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a quick ratio of 1.80, a current ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12-month low of $154.46 and a 12-month high of $491.51. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $399.26 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $335.80.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.39 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be given a $0.53 dividend. This is an increase from Applied Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.91%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,128 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $450.00, for a total transaction of $507,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 26,544 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,944,800. This represents a 4.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 268 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $434.22, for a total value of $116,370.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 4,280 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,858,461.60. The trade was a 5.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Key Applied Materials News

Here are the key news stories impacting Applied Materials this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer said Applied Materials “can’t keep up with demand” and later added that he’s betting the company “will just keep winning,” reinforcing a bullish narrative around AI-driven semiconductor equipment demand. Applied Materials (AMAT) Can’t Keep Up With Demand, Says Jim Cramer
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials presented at the Bank of America 2026 Global Technology Conference, keeping the stock in focus and potentially giving management a chance to highlight demand trends, margin outlook, and AI-related opportunities. Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT) Presents at Bank of America 2026 Global Technology Conference Transcript
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple recent articles describe AMAT as a trending stock and note Wall Street’s bullish view, suggesting investor sentiment remains constructive heading into the next catalyst. Is It Worth Investing in Applied Materials (AMAT) Based on Wall Street’s Bullish Views?
• Positive Sentiment: Another piece highlights AMAT’s growing attention among investors, which can support momentum in a stock that is already trading near its 52-week high. Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT) Is a Trending Stock: Facts to Know Before Betting on It
• Neutral Sentiment: Several commentary pieces discuss Applied Materials’ “real value” and broader AI investment themes, but they do not appear to include a direct new fundamental update that would materially change the near-term outlook. Applied Materials And Its Real Value
• Neutral Sentiment: Broadcom-related coverage mentioned Applied Materials as a partner in new AI data center and network platform announcements, but the impact on AMAT itself appears indirect for now. Why Broadcom (AVGO) Is Up 11.1% After New AI Data Center And Edge Network Platforms

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on AMAT shares. Needham & Company LLC increased their target price on Applied Materials from $440.00 to $530.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Susquehanna upped their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $435.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $525.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, May 15th. Argus boosted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $420.00 to $500.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 19th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $575.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Thursday, May 28th. Twenty-seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $470.13.

About Applied Materials

Applied Materials, Inc is a U.S.-based supplier of equipment, services and software used to manufacture semiconductor chips, flat panel displays and other advanced materials. Headquartered in Santa Clara, California, the company designs and sells capital equipment and related technologies that enable production of integrated circuits, display panels and materials used across the electronics supply chain.

Applied Materials’ offerings include process equipment and factory software that support critical steps in device fabrication, such as deposition, etch, implantation, inspection and metrology, as well as systems for packaging and advanced heterogeneous integration.