Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Stock Position Decreased by Moody National Bank Trust Division

Moody National Bank Trust Division decreased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 38.5% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 6,800 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 4,258 shares during the period. Moody National Bank Trust Division’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $1,748,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Grandfield & Dodd LLC boosted its position in Applied Materials by 6.9% during the 3rd quarter. Grandfield & Dodd LLC now owns 269,511 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $55,180,000 after purchasing an additional 17,397 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 4.9% in the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,101,772 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $635,057,000 after buying an additional 145,050 shares during the last quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co boosted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 21.8% during the third quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 96,712 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $19,801,000 after acquiring an additional 17,288 shares during the period. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 82.2% during the third quarter. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan now owns 26,893 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $5,512,000 after acquiring an additional 12,132 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Avity Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 1.1% during the third quarter. Avity Investment Management Inc. now owns 223,211 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $45,700,000 after acquiring an additional 2,376 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Materials Price Performance

NASDAQ AMAT opened at $373.99 on Wednesday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $123.74 and a 12 month high of $395.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $296.80 billion, a PE ratio of 38.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.65. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $343.10 and its 200 day simple moving average is $272.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 2.71 and a quick ratio of 1.94.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.88 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 37.52% and a net margin of 27.78%.The company’s quarterly revenue was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.38 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This is a positive change from Applied Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is 18.83%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AMAT has been the topic of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Monday, December 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $310.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Susquehanna raised Applied Materials from a “neutral” rating to a “positive” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $180.00 to $400.00 in a report on Sunday, January 11th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Applied Materials from $260.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Summit Insights upgraded Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $363.46.

Applied Materials News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: U.S. policy boost — a new administration-led investment consortium targeting roughly $4 trillion for chips, energy and critical-minerals supply chains raises the odds of large, multi-year fabs and infrastructure spending that directly benefits equipment vendors like AMAT. US Semiconductor Push Adds New Thread To Applied Materials Story
• Positive Sentiment: AI-driven demand and corporate strategy — recent coverage and conference presentations highlight AMAT’s push into AI chip tooling and materials technology, supporting expectations for sustained equipment orders as AI capacity expands. What’s Behind Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT)’s AI Push
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/media bullishness and buy-the-dip narratives — several bullish write-ups and interviews are framing recent pullbacks as an entry point given AMAT’s earnings beat, guidance, and secular AI/semiconductor tailwinds. Is Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT) A Good Stock To Buy Now?
• Positive Sentiment: ETF/institutional demand — AMAT is held in actively managed dividend and tech ETFs, which can provide steady passive and active buying flows as fund managers reposition into AI/semiconductor exposure. Active ETFs Surge Past Passive, and These Are in the Lead
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data appears unreliable — multiple filings cite a “large increase” in short interest but report 0 shares/NaN; this suggests reporting noise rather than a meaningful short squeeze or build-up. (No reliable link available.)
• Neutral Sentiment: Retail and analyst attention — AMAT is showing up on “trending” and sector watch lists (Zacks, MarketBeat), increasing visibility but not necessarily changing fundamentals. Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT) Is a Trending Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Macro/sector rotation risk — broader tech has been under pressure despite strong earnings growth; if investors continue to rotate out of tech, AMAT’s multiple could be capped even with improving demand (sector context from recent tech/ETF commentary).
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive and packaging dynamics — KLA and other equipment suppliers are highlighting advanced-packaging growth and supply constraints, signaling intense competition for capital spending and possible timing shifts for orders. Advanced Packaging Growth Drives KLAC’s Prospects: What’s Ahead?

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In related news, Director Judy Bruner sold 3,969 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $377.02, for a total transaction of $1,496,392.38. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 28,589 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,778,624.78. This trade represents a 12.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $379.16, for a total transaction of $202,471.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 4,625 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,753,615. This trade represents a 10.35% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 12,003 shares of company stock valued at $4,484,189 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Company Profile

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.