1,545 Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Acquired by Plimoth Trust Co. LLC

Plimoth Trust Co. LLC lifted its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 5.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 27,618 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,545 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials makes up 2.6% of Plimoth Trust Co. LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest holding. Plimoth Trust Co. LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $14,123,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of AMAT. Harborfront Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Financial Freedom LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. Curry Webb Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Orion Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth about $33,000. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, 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 transaction, the director directly owned 25,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,877,960. The trade was a 3.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief financial officer owned 128,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $61,637,780.25. This trade represents a 5.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 9,225 shares of company stock valued at $4,454,181 in the last 90 days. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Applied Materials News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Expanded Besi investment strengthens advanced-packaging strategy. Applied Materials agreed to increase its stake in Besi to approximately 20% through an accelerated share purchase. The investment gives AMAT deeper exposure to semiconductor assembly and advanced-packaging equipment, areas expected to benefit from increasingly complex chips and AI infrastructure. Applied Materials to Increase its Strategic Investment in BE Semiconductor Industries
• Positive Sentiment: Margin expansion remains a key bullish theme. Coverage highlighted investor focus on Applied Materials’ ambition to achieve roughly 40% margins. Progress toward that goal could support earnings growth and reinforce the company’s premium valuation. Applied Materials Stocks Gain With 40% Margin Ambition in Focus
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst earnings estimates were raised. Erste Group Bank analysts increased their earnings expectations for AMAT, providing an additional positive signal for the semiconductor-equipment maker’s profit outlook. Erste Group Bank Analysts Raise Earnings Estimates for AMAT
• Neutral Sentiment: Market coverage noted that Applied Materials outperformed the broader market during the latest session, but the report offered limited new fundamental information. Applied Materials Surpasses Market Returns
• Negative Sentiment: AI-spending and valuation risks remain. Bearish commentary argued that cooling enthusiasm toward AI and a potential slowdown in semiconductor capital expenditures could pressure equipment demand, although AMAT’s durable long-term growth prospects may limit the downside. Applied Materials’ Meltdown Is a Gift as Durable Capex Meets Cooling AI Sentiments

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on AMAT shares. UBS Group lifted their price target on Applied Materials from $675.00 to $695.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 1st. Wall Street Zen upgraded Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, September 26th. KeyCorp increased their price objective on Applied Materials from $550.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. Berenberg Bank raised their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $575.00 to $675.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 17th. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Applied Materials from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Thirty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $632.70.

Applied Materials Trading Up 2.7%

Applied Materials stock opened at $387.59 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 2.42 and a quick ratio of 1.79. The company has a market capitalization of $307.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.41, a PEG ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.60. Applied Materials, Inc. has a one year low of $203.40 and a one year high of $739.67. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $468.42 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $440.96.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $9.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.99 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 30.05% and a return on equity of 38.02%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 24.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.48 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.