LPL Financial LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT – Free Report) by 2.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 841,396 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 20,419 shares during the quarter. LPL Financial LLC owned 0.11% of Applied Materials worth $216,230,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Applied Materials by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 76,779,340 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $19,731,523,000 after buying an additional 330,197 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors raised its stake in Applied Materials by 119.8% during the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 32,707,049 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $8,405,458,000 after buying an additional 17,829,377 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its stake in Applied Materials by 40.1% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 12,520,114 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,563,376,000 after buying an additional 3,583,751 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth $2,858,543,000. Finally, Sanders Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 42.6% in the 3rd quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 10,978,990 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,247,838,000 after purchasing an additional 3,280,730 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.
Insider Buying and Selling
In other news, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,128 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $450.00, for a total value of $507,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 26,544 shares in the company, valued at $11,944,800. This trade represents a 4.08% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $498.86, for a total value of $1,247,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 136,113 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $67,901,331.18. The trade was a 1.80% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 53,896 shares of company stock worth $27,135,121 over the last 90 days. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
Applied Materials Price Performance
Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.Applied Materials’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.39 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Applied Materials Dividend Announcement
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be issued a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.91%.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
AMAT has been the topic of several recent research reports. Wall Street Zen raised Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 23rd. Needham & Company LLC lifted their price target on Applied Materials from $440.00 to $530.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Wolfe Research lifted their price target on Applied Materials from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $525.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Susquehanna lifted their price target on Applied Materials from $435.00 to $500.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Twenty-seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $470.13.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on AMAT
Key Applied Materials News
Here are the key news stories impacting Applied Materials this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials announced a quarterly cash dividend of $0.53 per share, reinforcing its capital-return strategy and signaling confidence in cash generation. Applied Materials Announces Cash Dividend
- Positive Sentiment: Investor sentiment remains upbeat on AI-related chip equipment demand, with recent commentary highlighting Applied Materials as a beneficiary of rising logic, DRAM, and advanced packaging spending. Applied Materials jumps 6.8% as AI-driven equipment demand and analyst optimism lift shares
- Positive Sentiment: Analyst coverage remains constructive, with multiple firms maintaining buy or outperform ratings and several price targets sitting above the current trading range, which can help underpin the stock. Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT) Eyes Growing Southeast Asia Workforce by 25%
- Neutral Sentiment: Reports of sharply higher short-interest activity appear data-distorted, but they still reflect ongoing attention from traders betting on semiconductor volatility.
- Neutral Sentiment: Broader semiconductor sentiment is mixed: some commentary says the sector may be entering a correction after a strong run, while other notes call recent pullbacks healthy. Semiconductor Index Outlook: Upside Target Reached, Correction Underway
- Negative Sentiment: There is also some caution from insider-sale headlines and valuation-focused articles after AMAT’s strong multi-month run, which could limit upside if investors rotate out of high-multiple semiconductor names.
Applied Materials 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.
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