NBT Bank N.A. acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT – Free Report) in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm acquired 3,016 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,542,000.
Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of AMAT. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth about $4,005,000. Caldwell Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,589,000. CX Institutional lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 333.3% in the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 25,853 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $12,631,000 after purchasing an additional 19,886 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in Applied Materials by 3.0% during the second quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,008,591 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $729,211,000 after purchasing an additional 28,982 shares during the period. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its holdings in Applied Materials by 29.6% during the second quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 462,685 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $334,521,000 after purchasing an additional 105,776 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.
Key Applied Materials News
Here are the key news stories impacting Applied Materials this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Strategic investment expands AI and materials exposure. Applied Ventures, Applied Materials’ venture-capital arm, invested in Albert Invent, an AI platform for chemical and materials research. The deal could strengthen Applied’s exposure to software-enabled materials discovery and support longer-term innovation. Albert Invent Welcomes Applied Ventures as Investor
- Positive Sentiment: Analyst estimate revision was modestly favorable. Erste Group raised its FY2027 EPS forecast to $18.67 from $18.59, although it maintained a “Hold” rating. The increase suggests some confidence in Applied Materials’ longer-term earnings outlook. Erste Group estimate update
- Positive Sentiment: AI-related semiconductor investment remains a growth catalyst. Advanced logic, DRAM and advanced-packaging spending is supporting the company’s Semiconductor Systems business, with potential benefits to revenue growth and margins. Can Semiconductor Systems Drive AMAT’s Next Growth Phase?
- Neutral Sentiment: ETF demand provided a technical-support signal. Reports indicated approximately $102.1 million of net ETF buying in Applied Materials, suggesting continued institutional interest, though ETF flows do not necessarily change the company’s fundamentals. Applied Materials Sees $102.1 Million in Net ETF Buying
- Neutral Sentiment: Fiscal 2026 results are scheduled for November 12. The upcoming earnings report will be an important catalyst for assessing demand, margins and management’s outlook. Applied Materials to Report Fourth-Quarter Results
- Negative Sentiment: Lam Research’s outlook pressured the entire equipment group. Lam’s comments that its outlook would be only “a bit higher,” alongside supply constraints, triggered concerns that growth may not accelerate as quickly as expected. Applied Materials and other chip-equipment stocks declined in sympathy. Applied Materials Sinks on Lam’s Outlook
- Negative Sentiment: Relative analysis favors Lam Research. Analysts cited stronger memory growth and customer-support momentum at Lam, giving it an edge over Applied Materials in the wafer-fabrication-equipment market and potentially limiting AMAT’s near-term appeal. AMAT vs. LRCX: Which Stock Has an Edge?
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of equities analysts have weighed in on AMAT shares. Seaport Research Partners reissued a “buy” rating and set a $575.00 price target (up from $500.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Wall Street Zen raised Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 26th. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $710.00 target price (up from $550.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Applied Materials from $645.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $600.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Wednesday, October 14th. Thirty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $632.70.
Read Our Latest Research Report on AMAT
Insider Activity
In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 725 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $544.56, for a total transaction of $394,806.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 3,181 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,732,245.36. This trade represents a 18.56% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $479.25, for a total value of $3,594,375.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 128,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $61,637,780.25. This trade represents a 5.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 9,225 shares of company stock valued at $4,454,181. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.
Applied Materials Stock Performance
Shares of AMAT stock opened at $377.24 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $203.40 and a 52 week high of $739.67. The company has a market capitalization of $299.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.52, a PEG ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 1.60. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $467.37 and a 200 day simple moving average of $486.93. 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 (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 for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $9.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 prior year, the firm earned $2.48 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 earnings per share for the current year.
Applied Materials Dividend Announcement
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be given a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.28%.
Applied Materials Profile
Applied Materials, Inc is a technology company that supplies equipment, services and software used to manufacture semiconductors and advanced displays. Its products help customers fabricate the integrated circuits and other components used in computers, mobile devices, data centers, automobiles and a range of connected technologies.
The company’s offerings include systems for materials engineering, wafer fabrication, inspection and process control, along with equipment and services designed to improve manufacturing productivity and yield.
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