World Equity Group Inc. Has $234,000 Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Posted by Stanley Muller on Aug 12th, 2026

World Equity Group Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT – Free Report) by 82.5% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 324 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 1,529 shares during the quarter. World Equity Group Inc.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $234,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Focus Financial Network Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 6.6% in the second quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. now owns 4,535 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $3,278,000 after buying an additional 279 shares during the period. Pettinga Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth $354,000. Corepath Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at $322,000. Aletheian Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Applied Materials by 10.2% in the 2nd quarter. Aletheian Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 821 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $594,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tactive Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 46.5% during the 2nd quarter. Tactive Advisors LLC now owns 1,903 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,376,000 after acquiring an additional 604 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AMAT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Applied Materials from $715.00 to $740.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $502.00 to $647.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. KeyCorp raised their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $550.00 to $750.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $400.00 to $515.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $603.23.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on AMAT

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In related news, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $633.53, for a total value of $6,335,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 346,642 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $219,608,106.26. This represents a 2.80% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Omkaram Nalamasu sold 24,263 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $593.43, for a total transaction of $14,398,392.09. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 146,916 shares in the company, valued at $87,184,361.88. This represents a 14.17% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 278,088 shares of company stock worth $169,654,805 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Applied Materials stock opened at $525.61 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a current ratio of 2.51. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $154.46 and a 52 week high of $739.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $417.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.61. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $561.46 and a 200-day moving average of $441.34.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT – Get Free Report) last released 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. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The business had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.39 earnings per share. Applied Materials’s revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.91%.

Applied Materials News Summary

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

Positive Sentiment: AI and semiconductor demand remain key bullish catalysts. Jim Cramer highlighted Applied Materials alongside Lam Research and KLA as beneficiaries of data-center memory bottlenecks and expected demand for chipmaking equipment. The company’s broad technology portfolio and exposure to AI infrastructure continue to support the long-term growth case. Jim Cramer semiconductor equipment analysis
Positive Sentiment: Analyst earnings expectations have improved. A report indicated that an analyst raised the fiscal 2027 EPS forecast, while pre-earnings estimates call for approximately $9 billion in quarterly revenue and $3.39 in EPS. These expectations imply continued year-over-year growth and could support the shares if management delivers or raises guidance. Applied Materials EPS forecast update
Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials expanded its chip-innovation ecosystem. UC Berkeley will join the company’s EPIC Center, giving researchers access to industry-scale equipment and process-integration capabilities. The collaboration could accelerate semiconductor research and commercialization, although the financial benefit is longer term. UC Berkeley joins Applied Materials EPIC Center
Neutral Sentiment: Options markets are anticipating a significant earnings-related move. Traders expect substantial volatility around Thursday’s results, as investors assess revenue, EPS, margins, orders and fiscal 2026 guidance. Applied Materials expected earnings move
Negative Sentiment: Valuation and competitive risks are limiting enthusiasm. William Blair initiated coverage with a Market Perform rating, citing strong AI-driven fundamentals but arguing that valuation and competition cap upside. With a trailing P/E near 49, the stock may require an earnings beat and constructive outlook to regain momentum. William Blair Applied Materials rating

About Applied Materials

(Free Report)

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.