Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Director Sells $1,496,392.38 in Stock

Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Director Judy Bruner sold 3,969 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $377.02, for a total value of $1,496,392.38. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 28,589 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,778,624.78. This trade represents a 12.19% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Applied Materials Price Performance

AMAT stock traded up $4.38 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $377.93. The stock had a trading volume of 5,709,161 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,276,564. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $307.22 and a 200 day simple moving average of $244.93. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $123.74 and a 52 week high of $380.51. The company has a current ratio of 2.71, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $299.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.70.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $0.17. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.78% and a return on equity of 37.52%. The business had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.88 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.38 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 19th will be paid a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.83%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AMAT has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $260.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Morgan Stanley set a $420.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, February 13th. KGI Securities upgraded shares of Applied Materials to an “outperform” rating and set a $425.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, February 13th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Applied Materials from $340.00 to $450.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Applied Materials from $315.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $363.04.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Capital Research Global Investors raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 119.8% during the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 32,707,049 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $8,405,458,000 after acquiring an additional 17,829,377 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,858,543,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its position in Applied Materials by 617.2% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 9,129,483 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,869,170,000 after purchasing an additional 7,856,576 shares during the period. Sanders Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,409,320,000. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its holdings in Applied Materials by 72.5% during the 2nd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 13,564,120 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,483,183,000 after purchasing an additional 5,700,349 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Materials News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat, stronger guidance and strategic wins — Applied reported a solid Q1 (beats on EPS and revenue) issued raised Q2 guidance and disclosed a ~US$252.5M U.S. export deal; management emphasized AI‑compute demand and launched new tools targeting 2nm-and‑beyond nodes — a direct revenue lever if chipmakers accelerate advanced-node capacity. Applied Materials (AMAT) Is Up 5.3% After Strong Q1, Export Deal And 2nm Push – Has The Bull Case Changed?
• Positive Sentiment: Market narrative reinforces AMAT as an AI-infrastructure play — coverage highlighting the nanotech/fabrication layer behind AI positions Applied as a core beneficiary of long‑term AI and advanced-node investment, supporting durable demand for deposition/etch/inspection equipment. The Supply Chain Quietly Powering the AI Boom—And 4 Ways to Play It
• Positive Sentiment: Operational strength and investor metrics improving — third‑party analysis and scoring models moved AMAT higher after the quarter, citing margin expansion, operational efficiency and AI tailwinds that boost investor sentiment and relative rankings. AMAT Stock Key Score Climbs As AI Demand And Operational Efficiency Drive Q1 Surge
• Positive Sentiment: End‑market growth outlook — Applied flagged strong AI/computing demand and external analysis forecasts significant semiconductor equipment growth in 2026, which would lift order flows and utilization for suppliers like AMAT. Applied Materials expects 20% growth in semiconductor business in 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Competitive/industry partnerships — Samsung joined Applied’s EPIC Center as a founding partner (R&D/process collaboration). This strengthens ecosystem ties but is exploratory and more strategic than immediately revenue‑driving. Samsung HBM4 AI Push Meets Fair Value And High Expectation Risks
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector comparisons — Analysts comparing AMAT to packaging players (e.g., AMKR) note AMAT’s stronger exposure to HBM/AI equipment, but those comparisons mostly guide relative positioning rather than change AMAT’s standalone thesis. AMAT vs. AMKR: Which AI-Driven Semiconductor Stock is a Safer Bet?
• Neutral Sentiment: Supplier awards PR — Applied announced Supplier Excellence Awards, which reflect supply‑chain strength and sustainability commitments but have limited direct near‑term financial impact. Applied Materials Awards Suppliers for Outstanding Performance
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue slip year‑over‑year — Q1 revenue was down ~2% versus the prior year, indicating near‑term cyclicality despite the beat; investors should watch whether bookings convert into sustained higher revenue as fabs ramp. Applied Materials (AMAT) Is Up 5.3% After Strong Q1, Export Deal And 2nm Push – Has The Bull Case Changed?

About Applied Materials

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.