Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Stock Bought by Willis Investment Counsel

Willis Investment Counsel boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 7.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 33,560 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,425 shares during the period. Willis Investment Counsel’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $17,162,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Harborfront Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Financial Freedom LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Orion Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the second quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Highland Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the second quarter worth approximately $33,000. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Demand for e-beam wafer-inspection systems is expected to expand from $1.3 billion in 2024 to $3.6 billion by 2030. Applied Materials is identified as a key participant, benefiting from shrinking chip nodes, higher yield requirements and AI-related data-processing demand. E-Beam Wafer Inspection Systems Market Forecasts Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials is also listed among companies positioned to benefit from the flexible-electronics market, which is forecast to grow from $32 billion in 2024 to $89.4 billion by 2030 as foldable phones and wearables gain adoption. Flexible Electronics Global Strategic Business Report
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts continue to raise earnings estimates, and some Wall Street price targets imply substantial upside after the stock’s recent decline. The company’s latest reported quarter also showed strong execution, with revenue up 24.8% year over year and EPS exceeding consensus. Applied Materials Cratered 20% Since July
• Neutral Sentiment: Articles comparing Applied Materials with ASML and Broadcom highlight its ability to fund research and repurchase shares, but emphasize that investors must assess R&D spending, buyback effectiveness and share issuance rather than headline cash returns alone. Applied Materials vs. ASML
• Negative Sentiment: Applied Materials reportedly experienced approximately $58.8 million of net ETF selling on October 15, creating short-term technical pressure unrelated to operating fundamentals. Applied Materials Sees Net ETF Selling
• Negative Sentiment: Following a roughly 79% one-year total return, investors are questioning whether the company’s AI-driven growth is already reflected in the valuation. That concern, along with a high earnings multiple and recent momentum weakness, may be encouraging profit-taking. Applied Materials Is Going Solid

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Applied Materials news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 725 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $544.56, for a total transaction of $394,806.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 3,181 shares in the company, valued at $1,732,245.36. This trade represents a 18.56% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $465.00, for a total value of $465,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 25,544 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,877,960. The trade was a 3.77% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 9,225 shares of company stock worth $4,454,181. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Craig Hallum raised their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $530.00 to $585.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Needham & Company LLC dropped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $740.00 to $580.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday. HC Wainwright set a $850.00 price target on Applied Materials in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $600.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Wednesday, October 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Applied Materials from $515.00 to $660.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. Thirty equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $632.70.

Applied Materials Price Performance

NASDAQ AMAT traded down $8.29 on Tuesday, reaching $404.82. The company had a trading volume of 3,056,416 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,861,786. The company has a quick ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 2.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $321.27 billion, a PE ratio of 34.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 1.60. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $478.34 and its 200 day moving average price is $486.73. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $203.40 and a 12 month high of $739.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.99 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.48 EPS. The business’s 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. As a group, equities analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 19th will be given 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 is Thursday, November 19th. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is currently 18.28%.

About Applied Materials

Applied Materials, Inc is a technology company that supplies equipment, services and software used to manufacture semiconductors and advanced displays. Its products help customers fabricate the integrated circuits and other components used in computers, mobile devices, data centers, automobiles and a range of connected technologies.

The company’s offerings include systems for materials engineering, wafer fabrication, inspection and process control, along with equipment and services designed to improve manufacturing productivity and yield.