Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Stock Price Down 4.3% After Insider Selling

Posted by Francis Steltz on Aug 28th, 2026

Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT – Get Free Report) were down 4.3% during mid-day trading on Friday following insider selling activity. The company traded as low as $460.51 and last traded at $461.67. 6,387,529 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 22% from the average daily volume of 8,182,253 shares. The stock had previously closed at $482.36.

Specifically, CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $479.25, for a total transaction of $3,594,375.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 128,613 shares in the company, valued at approximately $61,637,780.25. The trade was a 5.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on AMAT. Susquehanna raised their price target on Applied Materials from $575.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. B. Riley Financial reiterated 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. Bank of America decreased their price objective on Applied Materials from $720.00 to $650.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Argus set a $600.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Tuesday, August 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $657.76.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Applied Materials

Applied Materials News Summary

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

Positive Sentiment: Semiconductor and AI demand remains strong: Recent coverage points to Applied Materials’ third-quarter revenue of $9.115 billion, up approximately 25% year over year, and net income of $2.538 billion. Management cited record demand visibility from AI-related semiconductor investments, more than 10 new fab projects during the quarter and a $5 billion commitment to its EPIC Center. Fourth-quarter revenue guidance of $10.25 billion and continued share repurchases also support the growth outlook. How Investors Are Reacting To Applied Materials AI-Fueled Backlog, New Fabs And EPIC Center Bet
Positive Sentiment: New board member adds semiconductor expertise: Applied Materials appointed Akash Palkhiwala, Qualcomm’s CFO and COO, to its board and Audit Committee. His finance, operating and technology-industry experience could strengthen oversight as AMAT benefits from investment in advanced logic, memory, packaging and AI infrastructure. Applied Materials Appoints Akash Palkhiwala to Board of Directors
Neutral Sentiment: Options market signals wide uncertainty: Options prices imply a broad potential trading range for AMAT more than a year ahead, highlighting substantial volatility and the risk investors already hold in the shares. This is a risk indicator rather than a specific prediction of direction. How Far Applied Materials Stock Can Move In A Year
Negative Sentiment: CFO stock sale may weigh on sentiment: CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 shares for approximately $3.6 million, reducing his direct ownership by 5.51%. He still owns 128,613 shares, so the transaction does not alter AMAT’s fundamentals, but insider selling can create a modest short-term confidence concern. SEC Insider Transaction Filing

Applied Materials Stock Down 4.3%

The company has a market capitalization of $366.38 billion, a PE ratio of 39.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 1.61. The company has a current ratio of 2.42, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $553.91 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $456.73.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 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 analysts’ expectations of $8.99 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.48 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue 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. Research analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.73 EPS for the current 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 issued a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is presently 18.28%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AMAT. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 28.0% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,674 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,061,000 after buying an additional 2,771 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in Applied Materials by 26.7% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,225 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $590,000 after acquiring an additional 679 shares during the period. Forefront Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials in the second quarter worth $410,000. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. lifted its holdings in Applied Materials by 30.1% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 15,003 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,747,000 after acquiring an additional 3,469 shares during the period. Finally, Sei Investments Co. lifted its holdings in Applied Materials by 59.3% in the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 422,694 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $77,383,000 after acquiring an additional 157,426 shares during the period. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Applied Materials

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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.