FourThought Financial Partners LLC Sells 1,982 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

FourThought Financial Partners LLC cut its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 4.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 42,123 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 1,982 shares during the quarter. FourThought Financial Partners LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $10,825,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in AMAT. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the third quarter valued at $26,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 48.7% in the fourth quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 52.4% in the fourth quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 128 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Finally, IMG Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 147.2% in the fourth quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 131 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup lifted their price target on Applied Materials from $420.00 to $520.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on Applied Materials from $450.00 to $525.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Needham & Company LLC lifted their price target on Applied Materials from $440.00 to $530.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Applied Materials from $390.00 to $520.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $502.00 price target (up from $454.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, May 15th. Twenty-seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $465.14.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $379.16, for a total transaction of $202,471.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,625 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,753,615. The trade was a 10.35% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 3,969 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $377.02, for a total value of $1,496,392.38. Following the transaction, the director owned 28,589 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,778,624.78. The trade was a 12.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 7,003 shares of company stock valued at $2,678,139 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

More Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials was named a Zacks Rank #1 momentum stock, reinforcing bullish investor sentiment around the shares. Best Momentum Stocks to Buy for May 20th
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials announced Broadcom as an EPIC Innovation Partner, a collaboration aimed at accelerating advanced packaging technologies for next-generation AI chips and systems. Applied Materials Announces Broadcom as EPIC Innovation Partner
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple reports highlighted AMAT’s strong operating leverage, with AI demand, premium chip tools, and recurring services helping margins improve to a 25-year high. Applied Materials Gains From Rising Operating Leverage: What’s Ahead?
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary and comparisons versus Lam Research continued to frame Applied Materials as a key AI equipment winner, supported by diversified tools and attractive valuation. Lam Research vs. Applied Materials: Which AI Chip Stock Has the Edge?
• Neutral Sentiment: Applied Materials received a Supplier Excellence Award, which is a positive operational signal but is unlikely to materially move the stock by itself. Applied Energy Systems Receives Supplier Excellence Award from Applied Materials
• Negative Sentiment: Semiconductor shares faced some pressure after broader sector selling tied to Samsung labor-strike concerns and TSMC-related headlines, which weighed on AMAT alongside peers. MACOM, Applied Materials, and Photronics Shares Are Falling, What You Need To Know
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley reportedly downgraded Applied Materials, which may temper enthusiasm despite the company’s strong AI and earnings momentum. Morgan Stanley downgrades Applied Materials (AMAT)

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of AMAT stock opened at $426.85 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $383.84 and a 200 day moving average price of $323.95. The company has a quick ratio of 1.80, a current ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The firm has a market cap of $338.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.08, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.66. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $153.47 and a 12 month high of $448.45.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The company’s revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.39 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. Research analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 11.93 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st will be given a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. This is a positive change from Applied Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is 17.28%.

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.