Polaris Financial Partners Makes New Investment in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Posted by George Bondi on Oct 2nd, 2026

Polaris Financial Partners acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT – Free Report) during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 1,322 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $676,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. bought a new stake in Applied Materials during the second quarter valued at $4,005,000. Caldwell Investment Management Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter worth about $1,589,000. Evolve Private Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 59.0% in the 1st quarter. Evolve Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,875 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $983,000 after buying an additional 1,067 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 3.0% in the 2nd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,008,591 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $729,211,000 after buying an additional 28,982 shares during the period. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 29.6% during the 2nd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 462,685 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $334,521,000 after buying an additional 105,776 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief financial officer owned 128,613 shares in the company, valued at $61,637,780.25. This represents a 5.51% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $465.00, for a total transaction of $465,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 25,544 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,877,960. The trade was a 3.77% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of AMAT traded up $10.74 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $540.04. 5,898,582 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,949,976. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a current ratio of 2.42. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $485.40 and its 200-day moving average price is $475.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $428.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.59. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $203.40 and a 12 month high of $739.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $9.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.99 billion. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.48 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be paid 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 0.4%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.28%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AMAT has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. B. Riley Financial reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $700.00 target price (down from $790.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, August 14th. Wall Street Zen raised Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, September 26th. Raymond James Financial set a $650.00 price target on Applied Materials in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on Applied Materials from $720.00 to $650.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Berenberg Bank upped their price objective on Applied Materials from $575.00 to $675.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $629.38.

View Our Latest Stock Analysis on AMAT

Key Applied Materials News

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

Positive Sentiment: Expanded AI packaging partnership: BE Semiconductor is joining Applied Materials’ EPIC Center as an Innovation Partner. The collaboration will target 3D integrated circuits, logic and memory integration, photonics, hybrid bonding, thermo-compression bonding, and die-on-wafer, die-on-die, and die-on-panel architectures. These technologies could benefit from rising demand for AI infrastructure and advanced chip packaging. Applied Materials and Besi expand strategic partnership
Positive Sentiment: AI and memory demand could extend growth: An investor letter highlighted continued expansion in AI computing and semiconductor memory shortages as factors that may support Applied Materials’ equipment demand. The company’s broad exposure to chip fabrication and packaging gives it multiple ways to participate in AI-related capital spending. AI compute expansion and memory shortages
Positive Sentiment: Analyst target remains above the recent trading level: Analysts cited in a market report have an average price target of $629.38, suggesting potential upside if Applied Materials meets expectations for continued earnings growth. Applied Materials average target price
Neutral Sentiment: Valuation and comparisons: Recent commentary describes Applied Materials as offering broad AI-driven growth and a lower valuation than some semiconductor-equipment alternatives, although its elevated earnings multiple means further gains likely depend on sustained execution and strong industry spending.
Negative Sentiment: Execution risk remains: Applied Materials’ record equipment sales could reflect unusually strong conditions rather than a permanent new baseline. Investors should watch whether AI-related demand, memory spending, and advanced-packaging adoption translate into durable orders and margins. What investors may be overlooking

Applied Materials Company Profile

(Free Report)

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.