Willis Investment Counsel Buys 4,686 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Posted by Stanley Muller on Aug 16th, 2026

Willis Investment Counsel increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT – Free Report) by 17.7% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 31,135 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,686 shares during the quarter. Willis Investment Counsel’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $22,511,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of AMAT. Financial Freedom LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 34.8% during the second quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 93 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $67,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the period. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Applied Materials by 218.8% during the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 102 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, CEO Gary E. Dickerson sold 20,000 shares of the company’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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,599,843 shares in the company, valued at $1,176,236,570.46. This represents a 1.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Thomas J. Iannotti sold 9,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $599.77, for a total value of $5,547,872.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 40,559 shares in the company, valued at $24,326,071.43. This trade represents a 18.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 278,088 shares of company stock worth $169,654,805 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

AMAT opened at $507.18 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a current ratio of 2.51. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52-week low of $154.46 and a 52-week high of $739.67. The firm has a market cap of $402.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.61. The business’s fifty day moving average is $564.15 and its 200-day moving average is $444.89.

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, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 39.58% and a net margin of 30.05%.The business had revenue of $9.12 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.99 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.48 earnings per share. Applied Materials’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be given a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date 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 19.91%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Applied Materials from $520.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday. UBS Group set a $675.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday. Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $540.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Seaport Research Partners reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $575.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $640.17.

Read Our Latest Analysis on AMAT

More Applied Materials News

Here are the key news stories impacting Applied Materials this week:

Positive Sentiment: Record quarterly performance: Fiscal Q3 revenue rose 24.8% year over year to $9.12 billion, ahead of the $8.99 billion consensus estimate, while adjusted EPS of $3.50 exceeded expectations. AI infrastructure demand, advanced packaging and memory spending supported growth. Applied Materials Q3 Earnings Beat Estimates, Revenues Rise Y/Y
Positive Sentiment: Above-consensus outlook: Management projected fiscal Q4 revenue of approximately $9.8 billion to $10.8 billion and EPS of $3.82 to $4.22, both above analyst expectations. The company also pointed to stronger systems growth and unusually long customer visibility into fiscal 2027 and beyond. Applied Materials Forecasts Quarterly Revenue Above Estimates
Positive Sentiment: Analyst and institutional support: JPMorgan, RBC, TD Cowen, B. Riley, Needham and other firms maintained positive ratings or raised price targets. Soros Capital also reportedly added AMAT among several semiconductor positions, reinforcing the longer-term AI and chip-cycle investment case. Soros Capital Loads Up on Semiconductor Stocks
Neutral Sentiment: Options imply a possible rebound: Derivatives-market data indicates traders expect the pullback could be temporary, although elevated volatility reflects uncertainty over the stock’s near-term direction. Applied Materials Options Data
Negative Sentiment: Expectations were exceptionally high: Despite the earnings beat and upbeat guidance, investors wanted faster growth and clearer evidence that AMAT is outpacing rivals in semiconductor manufacturing equipment. Concerns about competition, margins and the pace of systems growth overshadowed the headline results. Applied Materials Slips as Investors Seek Faster Growth
Negative Sentiment: Broader market pressure added to selling: Weaker July retail-sales data, profit-taking after record highs and a semiconductor-sector selloff weighed on AMAT and other AI-related stocks.

Applied Materials Profile

(Free Report)

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.