Confluence Wealth Services Inc. reduced its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT – Free Report) by 16.4% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,961 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 1,367 shares during the period. Confluence Wealth Services Inc.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $3,559,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. AMG National Trust Bank grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 5.4% during the third quarter. AMG National Trust Bank now owns 2,297 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $1,175,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Applied Materials by 78.0% in the third quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,039 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $1,554,000 after purchasing an additional 1,332 shares during the last quarter. MKP Capital Management L.L.C. purchased a new stake in Applied Materials in the third quarter valued at approximately $4,347,000. D.B. Root & Company LLC raised its stake in Applied Materials by 26.1% in the third quarter. D.B. Root & Company LLC now owns 1,713 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $876,000 after purchasing an additional 355 shares in the last quarter. Finally, D Orazio & Associates Inc. raised its stake in Applied Materials by 3.3% in the third quarter. D Orazio & Associates Inc. now owns 938 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $480,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.
Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials
Here are the key news stories impacting Applied Materials this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Expanding high-bandwidth memory (HBM) capacity could drive demand for semiconductor manufacturing and advanced-packaging equipment, creating a potential growth opportunity for Applied Materials. The Next AI Chip Shortage May Be the Machines That Make HBM
- Positive Sentiment: B. Riley lowered its price target to $475 from $700 but maintained a Buy rating, leaving substantial implied upside from the cited share price. B. Riley Cut Its Applied Materials Target to $475. It Still Sees 28% Upside
- Neutral Sentiment: Options traders are anticipating a potentially large post-earnings move, signaling heightened volatility rather than a clear directional view. Investors will be watching results and the company’s outlook. Why Options Traders Expect a Major Post-Earnings Reaction
- Negative Sentiment: A technical analysis article says AMAT is nearing a “death cross” after a steep retreat from its high, which could signal further downside if the bearish pattern forms. Applied Materials Stock: Death Cross Pattern Nears Ahead of Earnings
- Negative Sentiment: ETFs sold about $200.2 million of Applied Materials shares on Friday, adding a short-term source of selling pressure. ETFs Are Net Sellers of Applied Materials
Insider Transactions at Applied Materials
In other news, 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 value of $465,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 25,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,877,960. This represents a 3.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 725 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $544.56, for a total transaction of $394,806.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 3,181 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,732,245.36. This represents a 18.56% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 9,225 shares of company stock worth $4,454,181. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several equities research analysts have issued reports on AMAT shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 26th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $675.00 to $700.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $720.00 to $650.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $515.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Argus set a $600.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 18th. Thirty investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $625.76.
Check Out Our Latest Analysis on AMAT
Applied Materials Stock Performance
Shares of NASDAQ AMAT opened at $372.53 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $441.30 and its 200 day moving average is $445.16. The stock has a market cap of $295.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.11, a P/E/G ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 1.67. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1-year low of $203.40 and a 1-year high of $739.67. The company has a current ratio of 2.42, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.
Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 38.02% and a net margin of 30.05%. The business had revenue of $9.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.99 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $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. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Applied Materials Announces Dividend
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be issued a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is presently 18.28%.
Applied Materials Company Profile
Applied Materials, Inc. develops and supplies equipment, software and services used to manufacture semiconductors and advanced displays. Its technologies help customers build and process materials at the microscopic scale required for chips and other electronic products. The company’s offerings include systems for depositing, removing and modifying materials, as well as inspection, measurement and process-control tools. It also provides equipment and services for advanced semiconductor packaging and supports customers with maintenance, upgrades and manufacturing software.
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