Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Insider Sells $6,335,300.00 in Stock

Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) insider Prabu Raja sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $633.53, for a total value of $6,335,300.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 346,642 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $219,608,106.26. The trade was a 2.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Applied Materials Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of AMAT opened at $586.54 on Thursday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52-week low of $154.46 and a 52-week high of $641.18. The stock has a market cap of $465.69 billion, a PE ratio of 55.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.67. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $463.44 and its two-hundred day moving average is $372.78. 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 (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.39 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.91%.

Applied Materials News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo lifted its price target on Applied Materials to $715 from $520 and kept an Overweight rating, citing continued strength in semiconductor capital equipment demand and AI infrastructure spending. Is Applied Materials (AMAT) the Best All-Time High Stock with Legs to Rally Further?
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America also raised its price target on AMAT to $720 from $540 and reiterated a Buy rating, suggesting analysts see additional upside from AI-led chip demand. Applied Materials price target raised by Bank of America
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage highlighted Applied Materials as a potential winner from growing semiconductor complexity and AI chip production, with some commentary arguing the stock may still be undervalued relative to long-term growth prospects. How Applied Materials Could Become the Next $1 Trillion Chip Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider Prabu G. Raja sold 10,000 shares, a transaction that may get attention but does not necessarily signal a change in the company’s outlook. SEC Form 4 filing
• Neutral Sentiment: Applied Materials announced a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share, which is supportive for income-focused investors but not a major short-term catalyst. Applied Materials insider trades and dividend announcement
• Negative Sentiment: Some recent articles noted that AMAT’s valuation has become stretched after a strong rally, which could limit near-term upside if AI spending expectations ease. Applied Materials Stock Looks Pricey—Can AI Demand Justify the Rally?

Institutional Trading of Applied Materials

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in Applied Materials by 4.9% during the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,101,772 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $635,057,000 after purchasing an additional 145,050 shares during the period. Evolve Private Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 59.0% in the first quarter. Evolve Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,875 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $983,000 after purchasing an additional 1,067 shares in the last quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co increased its stake in Applied Materials by 21.8% during the 3rd quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 96,712 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $19,801,000 after buying an additional 17,288 shares during the period. Worth Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,531,000. Finally, World Investment Advisors boosted its position in Applied Materials by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 82,296 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $21,149,000 after buying an additional 3,508 shares during the period. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on AMAT shares. KeyCorp increased their price target on Applied Materials from $450.00 to $550.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their target price on Applied Materials from $575.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $450.00 to $525.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $515.00 to $570.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. Twenty-seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $501.26.

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.