Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Stake Reduced by Compass Wealth Management LLC

Posted by Stanley Muller on Aug 22nd, 2026

Compass Wealth Management LLC cut its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT – Free Report) by 9.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 34,357 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 3,795 shares during the period. Applied Materials makes up about 4.7% of Compass Wealth Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest holding. Compass Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $24,840,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Harborfront Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Financial Freedom LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Joseph Group Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Applied Materials News Summary

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

Positive Sentiment: AI demand supports the long-term outlook. JPMorgan reiterated an Overweight rating and estimates semiconductor-systems revenue could grow about 40% this year, with AI-related investment accounting for roughly 80% of chip-equipment demand. Applied Materials Sees Years Of AI-Fueled Growth Ahead
Positive Sentiment: Advanced packaging and memory opportunities remain catalysts. New equipment launches are strengthening Applied Materials’ position in advanced packaging as demand for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and semiconductor manufacturing capacity expands. Can Applied Materials Sustain Its Growth Amid AI-Driven Demand?
Positive Sentiment: Brokerage coverage remains favorable. Berenberg issued a Buy rating, while broader analyst recommendations continue to point toward adding AMAT to portfolios. However, investors should note that consensus ratings can be overly optimistic because they are based on sell-side opinions. Applied Materials Receives a Buy from Berenberg Bank
Neutral Sentiment: Fundamentals were stronger than expected, but the market response was weak. Applied Materials reported record fiscal third-quarter revenue of $9.12 billion, up 25% year over year, and exceeded consensus EPS and revenue estimates. Its above-consensus outlook was apparently insufficient to overcome high expectations and valuation concerns. Applied Materials Delivered a Record Quarter. The Stock Fell Anyway
Negative Sentiment: High-profile bearish positioning is weighing on sentiment. Paul Tudor Jones reportedly liquidated his AMAT common-stock position and increased his put exposure, while Dr. Michael Burry is also betting against the shares. These trades raise concerns about semiconductor-cycle risks and whether future foundry capital spending will meet already elevated expectations. Paul Tudor Jones Liquidated His Applied Materials Stake

Applied Materials Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of AMAT opened at $492.32 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $562.67 and a 200 day moving average price of $451.05. Applied Materials, Inc. has a one year low of $154.46 and a one year high of $739.67. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $390.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.44, a PEG ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.61.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $9.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.99 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 30.05% and a return on equity of 38.02%. The business’s revenue was up 24.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.48 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.28%.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, SVP Omkaram Nalamasu sold 24,263 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $593.43, for a total value of $14,398,392.09. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 146,916 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $87,184,361.88. The trade was a 14.17% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Timothy M. Deane sold 8,621 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $590.76, for a total transaction of $5,092,941.96. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 134,631 shares in the company, valued at $79,534,609.56. This represents a 6.02% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 277,820 shares of company stock worth $169,538,434 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on AMAT. UBS Group set a $675.00 price target on Applied Materials and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Argus set a $600.00 target price on Applied Materials in a research note on Tuesday. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and issued a $740.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Applied Materials from $530.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, KeyCorp increased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $550.00 to $750.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $659.83.

Read Our Latest Analysis on AMAT

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.