Cullen Capital Management LLC decreased its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT – Free Report) by 12.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,439 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 2,429 shares during the quarter. Cullen Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $11,885,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.
Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Harborfront Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Financial Freedom LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the first quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Joseph Group Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.
Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials
In other Applied Materials news, CEO Gary E. Dickerson sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $735.22, for a total transaction of $14,704,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,599,843 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,176,236,570.46. This trade represents a 1.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Thomas J. Iannotti sold 9,250 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $599.77, for a total transaction of $5,547,872.50. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 40,559 shares in the company, valued at $24,326,071.43. This represents a 18.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 276,692 shares of company stock valued at $169,030,834 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Check Out Our Latest Analysis on Applied Materials
Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials
Here are the key news stories impacting Applied Materials this week:
- Positive Sentiment: AI infrastructure is supporting a new growth cycle. Chipmakers are increasing spending on advanced DRAM, high-bandwidth memory, leading-edge logic and advanced packaging—all areas that benefit Applied Materials’ semiconductor equipment business. The company’s latest quarter showed revenue growth of 24.8% year over year, with earnings and revenue exceeding analyst expectations. Applied Materials Enters a New AI-Driven Growth Cycle
- Positive Sentiment: Services and parts demand remain resilient. Applied Materials’ Applied Global Services (AGS) division reportedly reached record revenue and expanded margins, helped by subscription services, parts demand and higher semiconductor-fab utilization. This recurring revenue can provide stability across equipment cycles. AMAT’s AGS Business Gains Momentum
- Positive Sentiment: Analysts see potential upside after the recent selloff. Consensus price targets imply roughly 35% upside, while another report cited an average target near $641. However, these targets depend on continued earnings-estimate improvements and sustained AI spending. Analyst Upside Potential for AMAT
- Neutral Sentiment: Mizuho remains constructive but lowered its target. The firm reduced its price target from $650 to $590 while maintaining an “outperform” rating, reflecting a more cautious near-term outlook despite expected upside. Mizuho AMAT Price Target Update
- Negative Sentiment: China exposure is the main overhang. Tighter export controls and the emergence of Chinese domestic immersion DUV lithography systems are raising concerns about Applied Materials’ competitiveness and future China sales. Reports caution that not all of the company’s approximately $2.087 billion in quarterly China revenue is immediately threatened, but investors are still pricing in greater regulatory and competitive risk. Applied Materials’ China Problem Is Getting Worse
Applied Materials Price Performance
Shares of NASDAQ AMAT opened at $479.76 on Thursday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $154.46 and a fifty-two week high of $739.67. The stock has a market cap of $380.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.36, a PEG ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 1.61. 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 firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $556.61 and its 200 day simple moving average is $455.61.
Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $9.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.99 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 38.02% and a net margin of 30.05%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.48 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Applied Materials Announces Dividend
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th will be given 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 dividend yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is presently 18.28%.
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.
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