Triton Financial Group Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT – Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund purchased 10,632 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $7,687,000. Applied Materials comprises about 4.4% of Triton Financial Group Inc’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest position.
Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Harborfront Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Financial Freedom LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials in the first quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Dogwood Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Applied Materials by 52.4% in the fourth quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 128 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Trending Headlines about Applied Materials
Here are the key news stories impacting Applied Materials this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Semiconductor and AI demand remains strong: Recent coverage highlights Applied Materials’ $9.12 billion third-quarter revenue, up 25% year over year, and non-GAAP EPS of $3.50, up 41%. Management cited record demand visibility from AI infrastructure, more than 10 new fab projects during the quarter and fourth-quarter revenue guidance of $10.25 billion. The company is also continuing share repurchases and investing $5 billion in its EPIC Center to accelerate semiconductor innovation. The AI Buildout Is Turning Applied Materials Into A Profit Machine
- Positive Sentiment: New board member adds semiconductor expertise: AMAT appointed Akash Palkhiwala, Qualcomm’s CFO and COO, to its board and Audit Committee. His finance, operations and industry experience could strengthen oversight as Applied Materials pursues growth tied to advanced logic, memory and AI chip production. Applied Materials Appoints Akash Palkhiwala to Board of Directors
- Neutral Sentiment: Options market signals elevated uncertainty: A new analysis says options pricing for roughly one year ahead implies a particularly wide potential trading range, extending materially below and above the current level. That suggests investors should expect significant volatility rather than providing a clear directional signal. How Far Applied Materials Stock Can Move In A Year
- Negative Sentiment: CFO share sale may weigh modestly on sentiment: CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 AMAT shares for approximately $3.6 million, reducing his direct holdings by 5.51%. The sale does not alter the company’s operating outlook, but insider selling can create a limited short-term sentiment overhang. SEC Insider Transaction Filing
Insider Activity at Applied Materials
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $605.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $715.00 to $740.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $520.00 to $600.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Finally, UBS Group set a $675.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $657.76.
View Our Latest Report on AMAT
Applied Materials Stock Down 4.3%
Shares of Applied Materials stock opened at $461.67 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $550.80 and its 200 day moving average is $456.77. Applied Materials, Inc. has a one year low of $154.46 and a one year high of $739.67. The firm has a market cap of $366.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.80, a PEG ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 1.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 2.42 and a quick ratio of 1.79.
Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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. Applied Materials had a net margin of 30.05% and a return on equity of 38.02%. The business had revenue of $9.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.99 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.48 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 24.8% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.73 EPS for the current year.
Applied Materials Dividend Announcement
The business also recently announced 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. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.28%.
About Applied Materials
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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