Guinness Asset Management LTD Sells 10,245 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Guinness Asset Management LTD decreased its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 4.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 214,443 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 10,245 shares during the quarter. Guinness Asset Management LTD’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $43,950,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. IFG Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of Applied Materials by 1,008.1% in the second quarter. IFG Advisory LLC now owns 36,156 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $6,619,000 after acquiring an additional 32,893 shares during the period. Grandfield & Dodd LLC lifted its holdings in Applied Materials by 6.9% in the 3rd quarter. Grandfield & Dodd LLC now owns 269,511 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $55,180,000 after buying an additional 17,397 shares during the period. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 23.0% in the 2nd quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 12,643 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,315,000 after buying an additional 2,363 shares during the last quarter. Sienna Gestion raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 10.2% during the second quarter. Sienna Gestion now owns 113,221 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $18,924,000 after acquiring an additional 10,468 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 31.8% in the second quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 145,277 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $26,601,000 after acquiring an additional 35,012 shares during the period. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Citi raised its price target on AMAT to $400 (from $250) and reiterated a Buy ahead of the January-quarter earnings — a large bullish analyst move that likely lifted investor sentiment. Citi Jumps Applied Materials (AMAT) Target Ahead of Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks says AMAT is expected to beat earnings estimates and highlights the company’s favorable setup (earnings history + current indicators) — reinforcing the buy-side expectation for upside at the report. Applied Materials (AMAT) Expected to Beat Earnings Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks and other pieces emphasize AMAT’s momentum and growth characteristics (style-score based), supporting a continuation of the rally into earnings. Here’s Why Applied Materials (AMAT) is a Strong Momentum Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks also highlights AMAT’s history of earnings surprises and argues the company has the right setup to beat again — another supporting signal ahead of the print. Will Applied Materials (AMAT) Beat Estimates Again?
• Positive Sentiment: MSN reports a material lift in price targets (listed as +17.14% to 329.63), adding to positive analyst-driven momentum. Applied Materials (AMAT) price target increased by 17.14% to 329.63
• Neutral Sentiment: Yahoo/other previews ask whether AMAT will beat and whether it’s too late to buy after a strong one‑year run — useful market commentary but not new fundamental data. Will Applied Materials Inc (AMAT) beat quarterly earnings?
• Neutral Sentiment: General analyst/market notes on AMAT’s growth and valuation (Zacks pieces and bull-case explainers) provide context but are not immediate catalysts. Is It Worth Investing in Applied Materials (AMAT) Based on Wall Street’s Bullish Views?
• Neutral Sentiment: Headline reminders that AMAT will report earnings Thursday — a calendar item that markets are focusing on ahead of guidance. Applied Materials (AMAT) to Release Earnings on Thursday
• Negative Sentiment: TipRanks notes a roughly 9% intraday drop in AMAT shares on Feb. 4 despite the company “securing” something (market volatility around news/positioning) — a reminder that short-term moves can be abrupt and sentiment can swing. Applied Materials Stock (AMAT) Plunges despite Hopes for a ‘More Constructive Direction’

Applied Materials Stock Up 2.1%

AMAT stock opened at $303.99 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $241.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 1.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 2.61 and a quick ratio of 1.87. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $286.66 and a 200-day moving average price of $230.31. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1-year low of $123.74 and a 1-year high of $344.60.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.11 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $6.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.68 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 24.67% and a return on equity of 39.26%. The company’s revenue was down 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.32 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.980-2.380 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 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, March 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 19th will be given a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.20%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $325.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Monday, January 12th. KeyCorp boosted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $285.00 to $380.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $385.00 price objective for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $350.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, Mizuho set a $370.00 target price on Applied Materials and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Twenty-four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $311.04.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 609 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.53, for a total value of $155,617.77. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,413 shares in the company, valued at $1,127,653.89. This represents a 12.13% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Teri A. Little sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.24, for a total transaction of $952,960.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 84,351 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,095,782.24. The trade was a 4.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 8,609 shares of company stock worth $2,044,898 in the last three months. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.