First Nebraska Trust Co Purchases 65,962 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

First Nebraska Trust Co purchased a new position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 65,962 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $33,731,000. Applied Materials accounts for about 2.8% of First Nebraska Trust Co’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest position.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 80,212,518 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $57,993,650,000 after buying an additional 1,237,685 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 85.4% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 69,525,842 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $50,267,184,000 after acquiring an additional 32,018,892 shares in the last quarter. Amundi lifted its position in Applied Materials by 19.0% during the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 7,808,207 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $5,645,344,000 after acquiring an additional 1,246,876 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its position in Applied Materials by 16.2% during the 2nd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 7,713,599 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $5,576,932,000 after acquiring an additional 1,073,879 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in Applied Materials during the second quarter worth about $5,252,863,000. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of AMAT stock opened at $381.92 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $303.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a current ratio of 2.42. Applied Materials, Inc. has a one year low of $203.40 and a one year high of $739.67. The company’s 50-day moving average is $453.26 and its 200 day moving average is $444.38.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $9.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.48 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is currently 18.28%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 725 shares of the firm’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 value of $394,806.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 3,181 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,732,245.36. This trade represents a 18.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 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 Applied Materials 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 completion of 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. Insiders sold 9,225 shares of company stock valued at $4,454,181 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on AMAT shares. Erste Group Bank cut shares of Applied Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $675.00 to $700.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. Weiss Ratings cut Applied Materials from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Applied Materials from $645.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Evercore set a $590.00 price objective on Applied Materials in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Thirty equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $632.01.

Key Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials recently reported 41% growth in adjusted earnings per share and 52% growth in DRAM revenue, alongside higher revenue guidance. Ongoing investment in capacity and hybrid bonding technology could support future growth. Article: Did Earnings Growth Just Shift Applied Materials Investment Narrative?
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley lowered its price target to $538 from $563 and maintained an Equal Weight/Hold rating. The target remains well above the price cited in the coverage, but the downgrade reflects execution risks and tempered analyst conviction. Article: Applied Materials: Promising Demand Offset by Execution Risks
• Neutral Sentiment: The November 12 earnings report is a near-term focal point: results and guidance could either reassure investors after the selloff or reinforce concerns. Article: Applied Materials Just Dropped 29% In a Month
• Negative Sentiment: AMAT has lost nearly 29% over the past month as semiconductor-equipment shares faced broad selling. Coverage tied a recent chip-sector rout to Intel’s outlook, suggesting industry concerns—not just company-specific news—have weighed on the stock. Article: Applied Materials Sinks in Intel’s Chip Rout

About Applied Materials

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.