Avaii Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT – Free Report) by 2,500.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 27,825 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 26,755 shares during the period. Applied Materials accounts for about 3.9% of Avaii Wealth Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest position. Avaii Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $14,229,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. increased its position in Applied Materials by 1.6% during the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 80,212,518 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $57,993,650,000 after purchasing an additional 1,237,685 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 85.4% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 69,525,842 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $50,267,184,000 after purchasing an additional 32,018,892 shares during the last quarter. Amundi grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 19.0% during the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 7,808,207 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $5,645,344,000 after buying an additional 1,246,876 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 16.2% during the 2nd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 7,713,599 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $5,576,932,000 after buying an additional 1,073,879 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth $5,252,863,000. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several brokerages recently weighed in on AMAT. Erste Group Bank lowered Applied Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $850.00 price target (up from $650.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, August 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Applied Materials from $645.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Evercore raised their price objective on Applied Materials from $515.00 to $700.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. Finally, B. Riley Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $700.00 price objective (down from $790.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, August 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Applied Materials currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $640.20.
Applied Materials News Summary
Here are the key news stories impacting Applied Materials this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials announced that UCLA’s Samueli School of Engineering will join its EPIC Center to accelerate semiconductor research, process development and commercialization. The collaboration could strengthen the company’s technology pipeline and relationships with chip manufacturers. Applied Materials and UCLA Engineering Accelerate Semiconductor Innovation at the EPIC Center
- Positive Sentiment: Strong planned capital spending by TSMC—potentially reaching $64 billion—supports the outlook for semiconductor manufacturing-equipment suppliers. An Applied Materials veteran suggested TSMC may still need to invest more to meet demand, which could create additional opportunities for AMAT. TSMC Plans Up to $64 Billion in Capex
- Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary points to improving momentum in Applied Materials’ Applied Global Services business, supported by AI-enabled services, recurring revenue and sustained fabrication-facility demand through 2030. Recent comparisons also indicate AMAT’s revenue growth trajectory has strengthened relative to Qualcomm and Marvell Technology.
- Positive Sentiment: Recent quarterly results provide fundamental support: earnings and revenue exceeded consensus estimates, while revenue increased 24.8% year over year. Management’s fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings guidance also implies continued growth.
- Neutral Sentiment: Brokerage recommendations remain favorable, but the reports caution that average analyst ratings can be overly optimistic and should not be treated as a standalone buy signal. Brokers Suggest Investing in Applied Materials
- Neutral Sentiment: A short-interest update reported zero shares sold short and a zero-day days-to-cover ratio, although the wording describing a “significant increase” appears inconsistent with the reported figures. The data therefore offers little reliable directional information.
- Negative Sentiment: Applied Materials underperformed the broader market in the latest session, falling about 2.1%. Reports also linked the weakness to insider selling, which can raise concerns about near-term sentiment even when it does not change the company’s fundamentals. Applied Materials Stock Falls After Insider Selling
- Negative Sentiment: A member of Congress sold AMAT less than two months after purchasing it and missed a subsequent rally. While the transaction is not a fundamental development, the attention surrounding the sale may add to investor scrutiny. Congressman Sells Applied Materials Stock Before Recent Rally
Applied Materials Stock Down 0.5%
Shares of NASDAQ AMAT traded down $2.54 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $507.03. 3,338,899 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,867,691. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a current ratio of 2.42. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52-week low of $203.40 and a 52-week high of $739.67. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $488.90 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $481.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $402.38 billion, a PE ratio of 43.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.60.
Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 38.02% and a net margin of 30.05%.The firm had revenue of $9.12 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.99 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.48 earnings per share. Applied Materials’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.8% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. Analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 EPS for the current year.
Applied Materials Announces Dividend
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is 18.28%.
Insider Transactions at Applied Materials
In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 725 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $544.56, for a total value of $394,806.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 3,181 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,732,245.36. The trade was a 18.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $465.00, for a total transaction of $465,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 25,544 shares in the company, valued at $11,877,960. This represents a 3.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 9,225 shares of company stock valued at $4,454,181. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
Applied Materials Profile
Applied Materials, Inc is a global supplier of equipment, services and software used to manufacture semiconductor chips, flat-panel displays and other advanced electronic products. Its technologies help customers build and enhance materials at the nanoscale, supporting processes such as deposition, etching, inspection, metrology and packaging.
The company’s offerings include semiconductor manufacturing systems, process-control and inspection equipment, and services designed to improve the performance, productivity and longevity of production equipment.
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