Savvy Advisors Inc. Grows Stock Position in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Savvy Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 48.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,477 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,452 shares during the quarter. Savvy Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $917,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Marquette Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Applied Materials by 150.0% in the 3rd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Guerra Advisors Inc acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the third quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Howard Hughes Medical Institute purchased a new position in Applied Materials in the second quarter worth $32,000. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on AMAT. Morgan Stanley set a $420.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $260.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Applied Materials from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday, December 29th. Needham & Company LLC boosted their price target on Applied Materials from $390.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Summit Insights upgraded Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Twenty-eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $361.03.

Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat consensus — EPS of $2.38 topped estimates and revenue of $7.01B beat expectations, evidence that services and AI-related demand are offsetting cyclical headwinds. This beat is the primary catalyst for the rally. Applied Materials Q1 Earnings Beat Estimates, Revenues Fall Y/Y
• Positive Sentiment: Strong guidance and AI-driven order cadence — management set Q2 EPS and revenue guidance above Street consensus and highlighted surging orders tied to AI processors and tightening memory demand, supporting a view of sustained equipment spending. Applied Materials jumps as AI demand drives chipmaking tool orders
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and price-target increases — multiple firms raised ratings/targets (examples cited include Needham, Mizuho, Citigroup, B. Riley), which amplifies buying momentum and reduces near-term downside from sell-side skepticism.
• Neutral Sentiment: Regulatory settlement resolved — Applied reached a $252.5M civil settlement with the U.S. Department of Commerce over prior export issues; DOJ and SEC closed related probes without action. The payment is a one-time cost but it removes regulatory overhang going forward. Applied Materials Reaches Resolution with the U.S. Department of Commerce
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation concerns and bear case commentary — some analysts and op-eds argue the stock’s run has left limited upside and warn of pricey multiples; this creates the risk of profit-taking if future execution or guidance lags. Applied Materials: Little Opportunity Left After A Monstrous Run

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 609 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.53, for a total transaction of $155,617.77. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,413 shares in the company, valued at $1,127,653.89. The trade was a 12.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Teri A. Little sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.24, for a total transaction of $952,960.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 84,351 shares in the company, valued at $20,095,782.24. The trade was a 4.53% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 8,609 shares of company stock worth $2,044,898 over the last ninety days. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Applied Materials Trading Up 8.1%

Shares of Applied Materials stock opened at $354.91 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $123.74 and a 1 year high of $376.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 2.61 and a quick ratio of 1.87. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $295.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $236.38. The company has a market capitalization of $281.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.33, a P/E/G ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 1.70.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.19 by $0.19. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 38.52% and a net margin of 27.78%.The company had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.88 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.38 earnings per share. Applied Materials’s revenue was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be issued a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 19th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is 21.20%.

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.