Markel Group Inc. Acquires 7,850 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Markel Group Inc. increased its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 29.9% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 34,100 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,850 shares during the period. Markel Group Inc.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $8,763,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. SGL Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Applied Materials by 37.1% in the 4th quarter. SGL Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 4,372 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $1,124,000 after buying an additional 1,183 shares during the period. Principle Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Applied Materials by 25.0% in the 4th quarter. Principle Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,590 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $666,000 after buying an additional 518 shares during the period. Gradient Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth approximately $214,000. Keudell Morrison Wealth Management bought a new position in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth approximately $201,000. Finally, Axxcess Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Applied Materials by 75.4% in the 4th quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 55,232 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $14,195,000 after purchasing an additional 23,744 shares during the period. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, 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 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $379.16, for a total transaction of $202,471.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 4,625 shares in the company, valued at $1,753,615. The trade was a 10.35% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 7,003 shares of company stock worth $2,678,139 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Price Performance

AMAT stock opened at $432.16 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $387.09 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $326.06. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12-month low of $153.47 and a 12-month high of $448.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $342.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.58, a PEG ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.66. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.18. Applied Materials had a net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. The firm had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.68 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.39 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be given a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. This is a positive change from Applied Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is presently 19.91%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Susquehanna raised their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $435.00 to $500.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $465.00 to $540.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Seaport Research Partners began coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Monday, May 4th. They set a “buy” rating and a $500.00 price objective for the company. B. Riley Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $530.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $450.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Twenty-seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $465.14.

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.