Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Purchased by Stephens Inc. AR

Stephens Inc. AR raised its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 4.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 34,506 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,550 shares during the quarter. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $11,931,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of AMAT. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 5.3% in the first quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 895 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $306,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Applied Materials by 324.1% during the first quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 984 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $336,000 after purchasing an additional 752 shares during the period. Astoria Portfolio Advisors LLC. raised its stake in Applied Materials by 10.5% during the first quarter. Astoria Portfolio Advisors LLC. now owns 1,231 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $421,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the period. Walkner Condon Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 1st quarter valued at $307,000. Finally, Koshinski Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. now owns 18,951 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $6,477,000 after buying an additional 163 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Stock Down 9.5%

AMAT stock traded down $56.49 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $536.30. The stock had a trading volume of 4,275,051 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,249,403. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1-year low of $154.46 and a 1-year high of $739.67. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The company has a market capitalization of $425.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.35, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.57. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $499.51 and a 200 day moving average price of $391.80.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The company had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.68 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.39 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In other news, SVP Timothy M. Deane sold 8,621 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $590.76, for a total transaction of $5,092,941.96. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 134,631 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $79,534,609.56. This trade represents a 6.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Thomas J. Iannotti sold 9,250 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $599.77, for a total transaction of $5,547,872.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 40,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,326,071.43. This trade represents a 18.57% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 278,088 shares of company stock worth $169,654,805. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Applied Materials News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs raised its price target on Applied Materials to $645, reinforcing a bullish view on the company and helping fuel the semiconductor rally. 2 Chip Stocks Driving Today’s Rally With Lofty Bull Notes
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley increased its price target on AMAT from $502 to $647, while keeping an equal-weight rating, signaling improved expectations for the stock’s valuation. Susquehanna Lifts PT on Applied Materials (AMAT) – Here’s Why
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials unveiled its AI-powered SENZ platform, designed to speed development of smart glasses by integrating optics, light engines, vision correction, and dimming into one system. That supports the company’s AI growth narrative and could open new product opportunities. Applied Materials (AMAT) Unveils AI-Powered SENZ Platform to Accelerate Smart Glasses Development
• Positive Sentiment: Chip stocks are broadly rallying as investors position around strong AI and semiconductor demand, which is helping lift Applied Materials along with the sector. The Second-Biggest Stock Sale in History Hits the Nasdaq Friday, and Chip Stocks Are Ripping
• Neutral Sentiment: Several recent market commentaries and “best stocks to buy” articles have highlighted AMAT’s momentum, but these are more sentiment indicators than direct catalysts for the shares. Is Applied Materials (AMAT) One of the Best Stocks on the Rise to Invest In?
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor interest in AMAT remains elevated, with Zacks noting the stock has been trending among users, but this does not by itself change fundamentals. Is Trending Stock Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT) a Buy Now?

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on AMAT. Wall Street Zen raised Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 23rd. Needham & Company LLC boosted their price target on Applied Materials from $440.00 to $530.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Erste Group Bank upgraded Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Citigroup raised their price objective on Applied Materials from $550.00 to $710.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 17th. Finally, HSBC began coverage on Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, May 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $517.00 price objective on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $569.65.

Applied Materials Profile

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.