Manning & Napier Advisors LLC Decreases Stake in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Manning & Napier Advisors LLC lowered its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 8.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 339,637 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 30,326 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials accounts for 1.6% of Manning & Napier Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest position. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $116,085,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AMAT. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Financial Freedom LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials during the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in Applied Materials by 48.7% during the 4th quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Finally, Joseph Group Capital Management bought a new stake in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Trading Up 2.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT traded up $13.84 on Friday, hitting $602.50. The company had a trading volume of 6,270,022 shares, compared to its average volume of 12,077,411. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $517.90 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $402.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $478.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 56.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.57. 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 1 year low of $154.46 and a 1 year high of $739.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. Applied Materials had a net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. The company had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.68 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.39 earnings per share. Applied Materials’s quarterly 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. Equities analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

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

Key Stories Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials rallied after CEO Gary Dickerson said chipmakers have “tremendous visibility” into demand, implying the AI investment cycle could support equipment orders for years rather than quarters. Applied Materials (AMAT) Stock Jumps after CEO Says AI Chip Demand Has Years to Run
• Positive Sentiment: Meta Platforms’ reported plan to begin manufacturing an in-house AI chip helped spark a broader rally in semiconductor equipment stocks, including Applied Materials, on expectations that AI infrastructure spending will remain strong. Applied Materials stock jumps as Meta AI chip plan lifts semiconductor names
• Positive Sentiment: Stifel and Needham both raised their price targets on AMAT and kept buy ratings, reinforcing the view that improving fundamentals and AI-driven demand could support further upside. Applied Materials PT Raised to $650 at Stifel
• Neutral Sentiment: Applied Materials was removed from several Russell value-oriented indices in late June, a classification change that reflects the stock’s shift toward being viewed more as an AI/semiconductor growth name than a value stock. How Investors Are Reacting To Applied Materials (AMAT) Being Dropped From Key Russell Value Indices
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data showed no reported short interest as of July 10, offering little evidence of bearish positioning from the latest filing.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AMAT has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $525.00 to $700.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Argus increased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $420.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. Citigroup raised their target price on Applied Materials from $550.00 to $710.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. Mizuho boosted their price target on Applied Materials from $540.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Needham & Company LLC upped their price target on Applied Materials from $530.00 to $740.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $589.48.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In related news, CEO Gary E. Dickerson sold 71,727 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $593.75, for a total value of $42,587,906.25. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,695,164 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,006,503,625. This represents a 4.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Thomas J. Iannotti sold 9,250 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $599.77, for a total value of $5,547,872.50. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 278,088 shares of company stock worth $169,654,805. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.