The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Sells 11,933 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company decreased its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 910,031 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 11,933 shares during the quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned about 0.11% of Applied Materials worth $657,933,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of AMAT. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Harborfront Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Financial Freedom LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Orion Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AMAT has been the subject of several recent research reports. Erste Group Bank downgraded Applied Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $646.00 to $642.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 14th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $675.00 to $695.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 1st. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $740.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, August 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and five 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 $658.45.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Applied Materials news, CEO Gary E. Dickerson sold 71,727 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $593.75, for a total transaction of $42,587,906.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,695,164 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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 accessible through this link. Also, Director Thomas J. Iannotti sold 9,250 shares of the firm’s 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 sale, the director directly owned 40,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $24,326,071.43. This represents a 18.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 232,692 shares of company stock valued at $146,579,059 in the last quarter. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Applied Materials Trading Down 3.2%

NASDAQ AMAT opened at $454.01 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $516.82 and its 200-day moving average is $463.98. 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 $360.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.14, a PEG ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.60. Applied Materials, Inc. has a one year low of $164.00 and a one year high of $739.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $9.12 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.99 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 30.05% and a return on equity of 38.02%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 24.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.48 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.76 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 19th will be issued a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is 18.28%.

Applied Materials News Summary

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

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.