Franklin Resources Inc. Sells 199,881 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Franklin Resources Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 5.6% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,377,917 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 199,881 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $690,280,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in Applied Materials by 0.5% in the third quarter. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,340 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,707,000 after buying an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 7.0% during the third quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 657 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $135,000 after buying an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Sunflower Bank N.A. lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Sunflower Bank N.A. now owns 3,287 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $673,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Outlook Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter. Outlook Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,233 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $252,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Welch Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. Welch Group LLC now owns 1,741 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $356,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Trading Up 1.5%

NASDAQ AMAT opened at $351.07 on Thursday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $123.74 and a 12 month high of $395.95. 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 $278.61 billion, a PE ratio of 35.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.65. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $331.42 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $260.02.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on AMAT. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Applied Materials from $260.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Bank of America boosted their price target on Applied Materials from $300.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $370.00 to $410.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane upgraded shares of Applied Materials to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $363.46.

More Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Long‑term partnership with SK hynix to co‑develop advanced DRAM and high‑bandwidth memory (HBM), with engineers collaborating at Applied’s EPIC Center to accelerate AI memory innovation. Applied Materials and SK Hynix partner for next‑gen AI memory development
• Positive Sentiment: Partnership with Micron to develop next‑generation DRAM, HBM and NAND for energy‑efficient AI systems — market coverage reports and trade commentary show investors treating this as a strategic win for AMAT’s equipment and services revenue. Applied Materials and Micron Partner To Advance U.S. Innovation in Next‑Generation AI Memory Solutions
• Positive Sentiment: Sector commentary and trade notes highlight AMAT as a beneficiary of the AI hardware cycle — outlets and analysts point to AMAT and Micron as winners within the AI trade, supporting near‑term investor demand. AMAT and Micron still winning in AI trade despite QQQ and sector weakness
• Neutral Sentiment: Research roundup notes AMAT riding a semiconductor rebound but flags rising risks — this provides context for upside while warning of cyclicality. Top Research Reports for JPMorgan, Johnson & Johnson & Applied Materials
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short‑interest data in recent feeds shows effectively zero reported short interest (likely a reporting/data artifact), so short‑squeeze risk appears minimal based on available numbers.
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group initiated coverage with a Hold rating, which may temper upside from the partnership headlines for some institutional holders. Erste Group Initiated Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT) With a Hold Rating – Here’s Why
• Negative Sentiment: Despite strong free cash flow (Q1 FCF noted), coverage highlighted a recent pullback from highs — reminders of semicon cyclicality and profit‑taking could weigh on near‑term performance. Applied Materials Q1 2026 Free Cash Flow Hit $1.04 Billion, So Why Is the Stock Sliding

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Judy Bruner sold 3,969 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the director owned 28,589 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,778,624.78. The trade was a 12.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $361.21, for a total transaction of $1,806,050.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 138,565 shares in the company, valued at approximately $50,051,063.65. This represents a 3.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 12,003 shares of company stock worth $4,484,189. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Applied Materials Company Profile

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.