Natural Investments LLC Has $1.16 Million Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Natural Investments LLC cut its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 43.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,602 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 1,239 shares during the period. Natural Investments LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $1,158,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Harborfront Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. bought a new position in Applied Materials in the second quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Financial Freedom LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials in the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Elevation Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 34.8% in the second quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 93 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $67,000 after buying an additional 24 shares during the period. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Materials Trading Down 3.6%

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $441.85 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $544.29 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $459.28. Applied Materials, Inc. has a one year low of $154.46 and a one year high of $739.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 2.42 and a quick ratio of 1.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $350.65 billion, a PE ratio of 38.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.60.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 38.02% and a net margin of 30.05%.The business had revenue of $9.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.99 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.48 earnings per share. Applied Materials’s quarterly revenue was up 24.8% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is 18.28%.

Trending Headlines about Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: UBS raised its price target to $695 and maintained a Buy rating, implying substantial potential upside from recent trading levels. The upgrade reflects continued confidence in Applied Materials’ semiconductor-equipment business. Tickerreport.com article
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group lifted its FY2027 earnings-per-share forecast to $18.56 from $17.13. Although the firm retained a Hold rating, the higher estimate suggests improving expectations for long-term demand and profitability.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts continue to describe Applied Materials’ longer-term prospects favorably, with the company viewed as a beneficiary of semiconductor and artificial-intelligence infrastructure investment. Comparisons with Corning also highlight AMAT’s exposure to the chip-manufacturing equipment side of the AI supply chain. Corning versus Applied Materials article
• Negative Sentiment: Higher oil prices and a global bond selloff pushed the 10-year Treasury yield toward 4.79%. Rising yields increase corporate financing costs and reduce the present value of future earnings, creating pressure on higher-valuation technology and semiconductor stocks. Semiconductor stocks trade down article
• Negative Sentiment: Semiconductor stocks broadly declined as investors reassessed expensive growth stocks in response to the jump in long-term interest rates. Applied Materials’ elevated valuation and relatively high market sensitivity make it vulnerable to this risk-off rotation. Semiconductor stocks slide article

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Applied Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Truist Financial set a $575.00 price target on Applied Materials in a research note on Thursday, May 28th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and issued a $740.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, August 14th. Finally, HC Wainwright set a $850.00 price target on Applied Materials in a report on Monday, June 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $658.45.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In related news, Director Thomas J. Iannotti sold 9,250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $599.77, for a total transaction of $5,547,872.50. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 40,559 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,326,071.43. The trade was a 18.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Omkaram Nalamasu sold 24,263 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $593.43, for a total transaction of $14,398,392.09. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 146,916 shares in the company, valued at $87,184,361.88. This trade represents a 14.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 281,692 shares of company stock worth $171,378,059. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

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.