Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Stock: Providence First Trust Co Trims Position

Providence First Trust Co decreased its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 34.7% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 3,031 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 1,608 shares during the period. Providence First Trust Co’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $1,550,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Harborfront Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Financial Freedom LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Curry Webb Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA bought a new stake in Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Orion Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter valued at $33,000. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: A rally in chip-equipment shares is lifting AMAT ahead of its fiscal fourth-quarter results, scheduled for November 12. The sector move followed Lam Research’s announcement of a $25 billion share buyback. Article: Applied Materials Stocks Rise as Chip Equipment Rallies Ahead of Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: AI-related equipment demand and growth in advanced packaging are cited as longer-term supports for Applied Materials, despite the recent pullback in chip stocks. Article: AMAT Shares Plunge 30% in a Month: Should You Buy, Sell or Hold?
• Neutral Sentiment: The upcoming results are a key near-term catalyst: investors will assess whether demand and equipment-spending expectations hold up in a more cautious investment environment. Article: Applied Materials Stocks Fall Before a Revenue Test
• Negative Sentiment: The rebound follows a sharp chip-stock sell-off, with investors worried that data-center spending could slow; weak Qualcomm guidance added to sector concerns. AMAT also recently faced pressure after an analyst downgrade. Article: Chip Stock Rout Deepens Article: Applied Materials Stock Falls After Analyst Downgrade

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In related news, CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $479.25, for a total value of $3,594,375.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 128,613 shares in the company, valued at approximately $61,637,780.25. This trade represents a 5.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 725 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $544.56, for a total value of $394,806.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 9,225 shares of company stock valued at $4,454,181. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. UBS Group increased their target price on Applied Materials from $675.00 to $695.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 1st. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $710.00 price target (up from $550.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Erste Group Bank lowered Applied Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Zacks Research lowered Applied Materials from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Applied Materials from $563.00 to $538.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Thirty investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $632.01.

Applied Materials Price Performance

NASDAQ:AMAT traded up $13.46 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $332.71. 9,456,460 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,369,214. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $444.84 and its 200 day moving average price is $444.66. 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 company has a market cap of $264.04 billion, a PE ratio of 28.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.67. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12-month low of $203.40 and a 12-month high of $739.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.99 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.48 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be issued a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.28%.

About Applied Materials

Applied Materials, Inc develops and supplies equipment, software and services used to manufacture semiconductors and advanced displays. Its technologies help customers build and process materials at the microscopic scale required for chips and other electronic products.

The company’s offerings include systems for depositing, removing and modifying materials, as well as inspection, measurement and process-control tools. It also provides equipment and services for advanced semiconductor packaging and supports customers with maintenance, upgrades and manufacturing software.

Founded in 1967 and headquartered in Santa Clara, California, Applied Materials serves semiconductor and display manufacturers around the world.