70,474 Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Purchased by Kestra Advisory Services LLC

Kestra Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 74.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 165,156 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 70,474 shares during the period. Kestra Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $84,457,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. increased its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 1,237,685 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in 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 buying an additional 32,018,892 shares during the period. Amundi lifted its holdings in Applied Materials by 19.0% in the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 7,808,207 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $5,645,344,000 after buying an additional 1,246,876 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in Applied Materials by 16.2% in the 2nd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 7,713,599 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $5,576,932,000 after buying an additional 1,073,879 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $5,252,863,000. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AMAT has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Applied Materials from $530.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Applied Materials from $515.00 to $660.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. B. Riley Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $700.00 price target (down from $790.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $605.00 price target (down from $680.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, August 14th. Finally, William Blair initiated coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. They set a “market perform” rating on the stock. Thirty equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $632.01.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of AMAT opened at $319.25 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $447.84 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $444.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 2.42 and a quick ratio of 1.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $253.36 billion, a PE ratio of 27.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 1.67. Applied Materials, Inc. has a one year low of $203.40 and a one year high of $739.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 38.02% and a net margin of 30.05%. The firm had revenue of $9.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.99 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.48 EPS. The business’s revenue 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. On average, analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be issued a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is 18.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 725 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 3,181 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,732,245.36. This represents a 18.56% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available 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 the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at $11,877,960. This represents a 3.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 9,225 shares of company stock valued at $4,454,181. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: AI-driven equipment demand and growth in advanced packaging are potential longer-term supports for Applied Materials, according to a recent analysis. AMAT Shares Plunge 30% in a Month: Should You Buy, Sell or Hold?
• Positive Sentiment: Funds added to their AMAT positions on Nov. 2: ETFs bought a net $237 million, while Capital Group Dividend Value purchased $146.3 million. This buying may signal institutional confidence, though it predates the latest sell-off. ETFs Bought $237.0 Million of Applied Materials
• Neutral Sentiment: Next week’s earnings are expected to be a key test of whether strong chip-equipment guidance can hold up amid a more challenging investment backdrop; one report highlights a $10.25 billion revenue benchmark. Applied Materials Stocks Fall Before a $10.25 Billion Revenue Test
• Negative Sentiment: AMAT has declined amid a deepening chip-stock rout that has also hit Lam Research, KLA and Teradyne. Investors are concerned that data-center spending could slow, and Qualcomm’s weak guidance added to the sector’s worries. Chip Stock Rout Deepens

Applied Materials Company Profile

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.