Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Stock: Kestra Advisory Services LLC Boosts Position

Kestra Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 74.4% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 165,156 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 70,474 shares during the period. Kestra Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $84,457,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AMAT. Harborfront Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials in the second quarter worth $27,000. Orion Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the second quarter worth $33,000. Highland Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the second quarter valued at $33,000. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the second quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, Curry Webb Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the third quarter valued at $30,000. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $675.00 to $695.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 1st. Seaport Research Partners reissued a “buy” rating and set a $575.00 price objective (up from $500.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Applied Materials from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 9th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Tuesday, October 20th. Finally, Evercore set a $590.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Thirty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $632.01.

Applied Materials News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: AI-driven equipment demand and growth in advanced packaging are potential longer-term supports for Applied Materials, according to a recent analysis. AMAT Shares Plunge 30% in a Month: Should You Buy, Sell or Hold?
• Positive Sentiment: Funds added to their AMAT positions on Nov. 2: ETFs bought a net $237 million, while Capital Group Dividend Value purchased $146.3 million. This buying may signal institutional confidence, though it predates the latest sell-off. ETFs Bought $237.0 Million of Applied Materials
• Neutral Sentiment: Next week’s earnings are expected to be a key test of whether strong chip-equipment guidance can hold up amid a more challenging investment backdrop; one report highlights a $10.25 billion revenue benchmark. Applied Materials Stocks Fall Before a $10.25 Billion Revenue Test
• Negative Sentiment: AMAT has declined amid a deepening chip-stock rout that has also hit Lam Research, KLA and Teradyne. Investors are concerned that data-center spending could slow, and Qualcomm’s weak guidance added to the sector’s worries. Chip Stock Rout Deepens

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Applied Materials news, CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 128,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $61,637,780.25. The trade was a 5.51% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 725 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $544.56, for a total transaction of $394,806.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 3,181 shares in the company, valued at $1,732,245.36. This represents a 18.56% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 9,225 shares of company stock valued at $4,454,181. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Applied Materials Stock Down 13.6%

Applied Materials stock opened at $319.25 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $253.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.52, a PEG ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 1.67. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $447.84 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $444.59. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $203.40 and a 12 month high of $739.67. 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 (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 the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $9.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.99 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 38.02% and a net margin of 30.05%. The company’s revenue was up 24.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.48 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 19th will be issued a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.28%.

Applied Materials Company Profile

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.