Edgemoor Investment Advisors Inc. Sells 2,310 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Edgemoor Investment Advisors Inc. lessened its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 144,410 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 2,310 shares during the period. Applied Materials makes up approximately 4.9% of Edgemoor Investment Advisors Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest holding. Edgemoor Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $73,848,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in AMAT. Harborfront Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter valued at $33,000. Highland Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter valued at $33,000. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the second quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, Curry Webb Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the third quarter valued at $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AMAT has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. William Blair initiated coverage on Applied Materials in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. They issued a “market perform” rating for the company. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating and set a $710.00 price target (up from $550.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on Applied Materials from $675.00 to $700.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Applied Materials from $675.00 to $695.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 1st. Finally, Evercore set a $590.00 price objective on Applied Materials in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Thirty investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $632.01.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of AMAT opened at $332.71 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $264.04 billion, a PE ratio of 28.68, a PEG ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a current ratio of 2.42. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $444.84 and its 200 day moving average price is $444.66. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $203.40 and a 52 week high of $739.67.

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

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is 18.28%.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In other news, CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $479.25, for a total value of $3,594,375.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 128,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $61,637,780.25. This represents a 5.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director owned 25,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,877,960. This represents a 3.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 9,225 shares of company stock valued at $4,454,181. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: A rally in chip-equipment shares is lifting AMAT ahead of its fiscal fourth-quarter results, scheduled for November 12. The sector move followed Lam Research’s announcement of a $25 billion share buyback. Article: Applied Materials Stocks Rise as Chip Equipment Rallies Ahead of Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: AI-related equipment demand and growth in advanced packaging are cited as longer-term supports for Applied Materials, despite the recent pullback in chip stocks. Article: AMAT Shares Plunge 30% in a Month: Should You Buy, Sell or Hold?
• Neutral Sentiment: The upcoming results are a key near-term catalyst: investors will assess whether demand and equipment-spending expectations hold up in a more cautious investment environment. Article: Applied Materials Stocks Fall Before a Revenue Test
• Negative Sentiment: The rebound follows a sharp chip-stock sell-off, with investors worried that data-center spending could slow; weak Qualcomm guidance added to sector concerns. AMAT also recently faced pressure after an analyst downgrade. Article: Chip Stock Rout Deepens Article: Applied Materials Stock Falls After Analyst Downgrade

Applied Materials Profile

Applied Materials, Inc develops and supplies equipment, software and services used to manufacture semiconductors and advanced displays. Its technologies help customers build and process materials at the microscopic scale required for chips and other electronic products.

The company’s offerings include systems for depositing, removing and modifying materials, as well as inspection, measurement and process-control tools. It also provides equipment and services for advanced semiconductor packaging and supports customers with maintenance, upgrades and manufacturing software.

Founded in 1967 and headquartered in Santa Clara, California, Applied Materials serves semiconductor and display manufacturers around the world.