Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. reduced its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT – Free Report) by 4.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 43,730 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 2,170 shares during the quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $22,363,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Harborfront Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Orion Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Highland Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the second quarter worth approximately $33,000. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the second quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, Curry Webb Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Applied Materials from $530.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Applied Materials from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Applied Materials from $645.00 to $670.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Needham & Company LLC lowered their price target on Applied Materials from $740.00 to $580.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 16th. Finally, William Blair assumed coverage on Applied Materials in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. They set a “market perform” rating on the stock. Thirty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $632.70.
View Our Latest Report on Applied Materials
Applied Materials News Summary
Here are the key news stories impacting Applied Materials this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Expanded Besi investment strengthens advanced-packaging strategy. Applied Materials agreed to increase its stake in Besi to approximately 20% through an accelerated share purchase. The investment gives AMAT deeper exposure to semiconductor assembly and advanced-packaging equipment, areas expected to benefit from increasingly complex chips and AI infrastructure. Applied Materials to Increase its Strategic Investment in BE Semiconductor Industries
- Positive Sentiment: Margin expansion remains a key bullish theme. Coverage highlighted investor focus on Applied Materials’ ambition to achieve roughly 40% margins. Progress toward that goal could support earnings growth and reinforce the company’s premium valuation. Applied Materials Stocks Gain With 40% Margin Ambition in Focus
- Positive Sentiment: Analyst earnings estimates were raised. Erste Group Bank analysts increased their earnings expectations for AMAT, providing an additional positive signal for the semiconductor-equipment maker’s profit outlook. Erste Group Bank Analysts Raise Earnings Estimates for AMAT
- Neutral Sentiment: Market coverage noted that Applied Materials outperformed the broader market during the latest session, but the report offered limited new fundamental information. Applied Materials Surpasses Market Returns
- Negative Sentiment: AI-spending and valuation risks remain. Bearish commentary argued that cooling enthusiasm toward AI and a potential slowdown in semiconductor capital expenditures could pressure equipment demand, although AMAT’s durable long-term growth prospects may limit the downside. Applied Materials’ Meltdown Is a Gift as Durable Capex Meets Cooling AI Sentiments
Applied Materials Trading Up 2.7%
NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $387.59 on Tuesday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $203.40 and a 52 week high of $739.67. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $468.42 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $440.96. 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 firm has a market cap of $307.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.60.
Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $9.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.99 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 38.02% and a net margin of 30.05%. The company’s revenue was up 24.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.48 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Applied Materials Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.28%.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other Applied Materials news, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $465.00, for a total value of $465,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 25,544 shares in the company, valued at $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 available through the SEC website. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 725 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $544.56, for a total value of $394,806.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 3,181 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,732,245.36. This represents a 18.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 9,225 shares of company stock valued at $4,454,181. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.
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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