Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Stock: First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. Raises Holdings

First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 6.5% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 61,377 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,740 shares during the quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $31,387,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Harborfront Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Financial Freedom LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Orion Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials in the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Highland Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials in the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 725 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $544.56, for a total transaction of $394,806.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 3,181 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,732,245.36. This represents a 18.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $465.00, for a total transaction of $465,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 25,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,877,960. This trade represents a 3.77% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 9,225 shares of company stock worth $4,454,181. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials unveiled its $5 billion EPIC Center in Sunnyvale, California, a collaborative research facility involving customers and partners including Intel, Micron, SK Hynix and Samsung. The center is intended to shorten chip-development cycles and accelerate the commercialization of advanced manufacturing technologies. Applied Materials’ $5 billion AI lab aims to cut chip development time in half
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted opportunities to gain more than two percentage points of semiconductor-equipment market share by 2030, grow eBeam equipment revenue to approximately $2 billion in 2026 and increase semiconductor-services revenue to more than $12 billion by 2030. These targets support the long-term AI and advanced-node investment thesis. Applied Materials Set to Outperform as AI Drives Sustained Demand
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Ventures invested in Flexcompute, supporting an AI platform that uses physics-based modeling to speed semiconductor design, simulation and materials prototyping. The initiative could improve customer workflows and create strategic benefits over time. Applied Materials Backs AI Physics Modeling Push
• Neutral Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald maintained an $850 price target, implying substantial upside, but the bullish view has not offset near-term investor concerns. Erste Group also made only a modest increase to its FY2027 EPS forecast while retaining a “Hold” rating.
• Neutral Sentiment: The broader semiconductor-equipment group sold off amid profit-taking after a strong year, weakness in Asian chip stocks and caution ahead of U.S. inflation data. AMAT’s valuation—about 40 times earnings—leaves the stock sensitive to any slowdown in AI spending or earnings expectations.
• Negative Sentiment: Investors appeared disappointed by the clarity and detail of Applied Materials’ 2030 outlook. Reports indicate that management’s long-term guidance did not fully match elevated expectations, while an omitted metric or target at investor day was interpreted by some investors as a potential sell signal. Why Applied Materials Sank Today

Applied Materials Price Performance

Applied Materials stock opened at $464.24 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 2.42 and a quick ratio of 1.79. Applied Materials, Inc. has a one year low of $203.40 and a one year high of $739.67. The firm has a market cap of $368.42 billion, a PE ratio of 40.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.60. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $486.82 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $484.20.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 the consensus estimate of $8.99 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.48 earnings per share. Applied Materials’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be given a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is presently 18.28%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on AMAT. HC Wainwright set a $850.00 price objective on Applied Materials in a research report on Monday, June 29th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Applied Materials from $675.00 to $695.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 1st. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Applied Materials from $642.00 to $563.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 28th. Craig Hallum raised their price target on Applied Materials from $530.00 to $585.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $720.00 to $650.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $640.20.

About Applied Materials

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.