Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Director Judy Bruner Sells 1,000 Shares of Stock

Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $465.00, for a total transaction of $465,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 25,544 shares in the company, valued at $11,877,960. This trade represents a 3.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of AMAT stock opened at $454.01 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $516.82 and a two-hundred day moving average of $463.98. The firm has a market cap of $360.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.14, a P/E/G ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.60. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1-year low of $164.00 and a 1-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.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued 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 net margin of 30.05% and a return on equity of 38.02%. The business had revenue of $9.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.99 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.48 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.8% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.28%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on AMAT. KeyCorp lifted their target price on Applied Materials from $550.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, June 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $645.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Argus set a $600.00 price objective on Applied Materials in a research note on Tuesday, August 18th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $590.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, June 11th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Monday, August 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Applied Materials presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $658.45.

Key Stories Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: CEO Gary Dickerson said the artificial-intelligence boom remains durable, citing customer orders extending years into the future. Commentary from industry peers reportedly supports the view that demand for semiconductor manufacturing equipment remains strong. Applied Materials CEO Says the AI Boom Is Nowhere Near Over
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials announced a quarterly cash dividend of $0.53 per share, payable December 10 to shareholders of record November 19. The dividend provides a modest shareholder-return benefit and signals continued confidence in cash generation. Applied Materials Announces Cash Dividend
• Neutral Sentiment: Published forecasts show a wide range of potential outcomes, with a bullish target near $690 and a bearish case around $340. The spread highlights uncertainty over AI growth expectations, semiconductor cycles and AMAT’s elevated valuation. Applied Materials AMAT Stock Prediction
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short-interest data showed zero shares short and a zero-day short-interest ratio, but the figures appear inconsistent and provide little reliable insight into current trading pressure.
• Negative Sentiment: Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares for approximately $465,000, reducing her holdings by 3.77%. Although she retains a substantial position, the insider sale may weigh modestly on sentiment. SEC insider transaction filing

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Applied Materials

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. California State Teachers Retirement System lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 70,976.9% during the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 870,192,678 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $629,149,306,000 after purchasing an additional 868,968,380 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its holdings in Applied Materials by 119.8% during the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 32,707,049 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $8,405,458,000 after buying an additional 17,829,377 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at $2,858,543,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 617.2% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 9,129,483 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,869,170,000 after acquiring an additional 7,856,576 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter valued at $5,252,863,000. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Materials Company Profile

Applied Materials, Inc is a global provider of materials engineering solutions used to manufacture semiconductors, displays and other advanced electronic products. The company develops and supplies equipment, services and software that help customers build and improve the performance of chips and display panels.

Its semiconductor products support processes including deposition, etch, patterning, inspection, metrology and materials modification. Applied Materials also provides equipment and services for display manufacturing, including technologies used in producing liquid-crystal and organic light-emitting diode displays, as well as solutions for adjacent markets such as solar and other specialty applications.

Founded in 1967 and headquartered in Santa Clara, California, Applied Materials serves semiconductor and display manufacturers worldwide through operations, customer-support centers and research and development activities across major technology-producing regions.