Processus Wealth & Capital Management LLC Cuts Position in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Processus Wealth & Capital Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 6.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 17,083 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 1,188 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials comprises 4.1% of Processus Wealth & Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest position. Processus Wealth & Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $12,351,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of AMAT. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 76,779,340 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $19,731,523,000 after acquiring an additional 330,197 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 119.8% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 32,707,049 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $8,405,458,000 after purchasing an additional 17,829,377 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 11,470,835 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,947,891,000 after purchasing an additional 373,012 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,858,543,000. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its stake in Applied Materials by 17.1% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 10,688,232 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,746,769,000 after purchasing an additional 1,558,749 shares during the period. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Applied Materials News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: AI optimism remains the primary bullish catalyst. Applied Materials supplies equipment used to manufacture advanced logic and memory chips, positioning it as a “picks-and-shovels” beneficiary of data-center and AI infrastructure spending. Recent strength across semiconductor stocks and strong results from AI-linked customers are supporting expectations for sustained demand. Applied Materials Stock Enjoying AI Optimism Before Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials announced that UC Berkeley will join its EPIC Center, giving researchers access to industry-scale equipment and process-integration expertise. The partnership could accelerate semiconductor innovation and commercialization, although its financial impact is likely longer term. UC Berkeley to Join Applied Materials’ EPIC Center
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts expect record quarterly revenue of roughly $9 billion, up about 23% year over year, and earnings per share near $3.39. Investors will also watch gross margins, semiconductor-fabrication equipment orders, China exposure, and management’s outlook for the next quarter. A large post-earnings move is implied by options pricing. Applied Materials Earnings Preview
• Negative Sentiment: Options activity indicates traders are positioned for a potentially downward reaction if results or guidance fail to exceed already-high expectations. The stock’s roughly 25% decline from its June record high and valuation concerns increase the risk of a “sell the news” response, even if the company beats estimates. Barchart Applied Materials Earnings Analysis
• Negative Sentiment: William Blair initiated coverage with a “Market Perform” rating, while another analyst maintained a Hold view, citing AMAT’s strong AI fundamentals but also its valuation and competitive risks. These neutral ratings may limit upside ahead of the earnings catalyst. Analyst Maintains Hold on Applied Materials

Applied Materials Stock Up 4.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $548.15 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $562.41 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $442.96. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12-month low of $154.46 and a 12-month high of $739.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $435.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.47, a PEG ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.61.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its earnings results 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. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The firm had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.68 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.39 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is 19.91%.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, CEO Gary E. Dickerson sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $735.22, for a total transaction of $14,704,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,599,843 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,176,236,570.46. This trade represents a 1.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Thomas J. Iannotti sold 9,250 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $599.77, for a total transaction of $5,547,872.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 40,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $24,326,071.43. This trade represents a 18.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 278,088 shares of company stock worth $169,654,805 in the last ninety days. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on AMAT shares. Seaport Research Partners started coverage on Applied Materials in a report on Monday, May 4th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $500.00 price objective for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $645.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Wolfe Research upped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $650.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $603.23.

About Applied Materials

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.