Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Newly Purchased by First Nebraska Trust Co

First Nebraska Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund purchased 65,962 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $33,731,000. Applied Materials accounts for about 2.8% of First Nebraska Trust Co’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest position.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AMAT. IPG Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $431,000. Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management boosted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 11.7% in the third quarter. Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management now owns 2,618 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $1,339,000 after buying an additional 275 shares during the last quarter. Next Level Wealth Planning LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials during the third quarter valued at approximately $83,000. Signature Equity Partners LLC grew its position in Applied Materials by 27.7% during the third quarter. Signature Equity Partners LLC now owns 549 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $281,000 after buying an additional 119 shares during the period. Finally, Summit Wealth Group LLC Co. increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 36.8% during the third quarter. Summit Wealth Group LLC Co. now owns 3,884 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,986,000 after buying an additional 1,045 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on AMAT shares. 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. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $530.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Argus set a $600.00 price objective on Applied Materials and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 18th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $700.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Erste Group Bank downgraded Applied Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Thirty research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $632.01.

Applied Materials Price Performance

NASDAQ AMAT opened at $381.92 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.42, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $203.40 and a 12 month high of $739.67. The stock has a market cap of $303.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.92, a PEG ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.67. The company’s 50 day moving average is $453.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $444.38.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $9.12 billion during 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 revenue was up 24.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.48 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is 18.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Applied Materials news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 725 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $544.56, for a total transaction of $394,806.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 3,181 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,732,245.36. This trade represents a 18.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $465.00, for a total value of $465,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 25,544 shares in the company, valued at $11,877,960. This trade represents a 3.77% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 9,225 shares of company stock valued at $4,454,181. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials recently reported 41% growth in adjusted earnings per share and 52% growth in DRAM revenue, alongside higher revenue guidance. Ongoing investment in capacity and hybrid bonding technology could support future growth. Article: Did Earnings Growth Just Shift Applied Materials Investment Narrative?
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley lowered its price target to $538 from $563 and maintained an Equal Weight/Hold rating. The target remains well above the price cited in the coverage, but the downgrade reflects execution risks and tempered analyst conviction. Article: Applied Materials: Promising Demand Offset by Execution Risks
• Neutral Sentiment: The November 12 earnings report is a near-term focal point: results and guidance could either reassure investors after the selloff or reinforce concerns. Article: Applied Materials Just Dropped 29% In a Month
• Negative Sentiment: AMAT has lost nearly 29% over the past month as semiconductor-equipment shares faced broad selling. Coverage tied a recent chip-sector rout to Intel’s outlook, suggesting industry concerns—not just company-specific news—have weighed on the stock. Article: Applied Materials Sinks in Intel’s Chip Rout

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.