HB Wealth Management LLC Increases Position in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

HB Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 5.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 34,023 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,840 shares during the period. HB Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $8,744,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Marquette Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 150.0% in the third quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the third quarter worth $26,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 48.7% in the fourth quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the third quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Guerra Advisors Inc acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the third quarter worth $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of AMAT stock opened at $403.91 on Friday. 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 fifty day moving average price of $365.19 and a 200 day moving average price of $299.72. The company has a market cap of $320.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.34, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.64. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $144.71 and a 12 month high of $413.82.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.88 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.78% and a return on equity of 37.52%. The company’s revenue was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.38 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 11.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. This is an increase 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 payout ratio is presently 18.83%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Judy Bruner sold 3,969 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $377.02, for a total transaction of $1,496,392.38. Following the completion of 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $379.16, for a total transaction of $202,471.44. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 4,625 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,753,615. The trade was a 10.35% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 12,003 shares of company stock worth $4,484,189. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Summit Insights upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Applied Materials to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $340.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. B. Riley Financial boosted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $450.00 to $485.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $370.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $368.29.

Applied Materials News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer publicly called AMAT “a great buy,” highlighting the company alongside other equipment leaders; that endorsement can lift investor sentiment and retail interest. Jim Cramer on Applied Materials
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and podcasters (SemiAnalysis) argue DRAM demand from AI will outstrip capacity, implying elevated memory capex — a direct tailwind for equipment suppliers like AMAT. This narrative supports upside to multi-year equipment orders if memory pricing and fab spending accelerate. ‘DRAM Will Double or Triple From Here’
• Positive Sentiment: Applied joined Tesla’s Terafab project, which could lead to equipment supply opportunities if the initiative scales — a potential new revenue channel beyond core foundry/HPC customers. Applied Materials Just Joined the Tesla Terafab Project
• Positive Sentiment: Applied and Advantest deepened ties on the EPIC platform to better link fab processes and automated testing — a strategic move that can shorten time-to-market for advanced AI/HPC chips and make AMAT’s equipment more integral to customers’ value chains. Applied Materials Deepens Chip Test Links
• Neutral Sentiment: Applied set its fiscal Q2 2026 earnings call for May 14 — a near-term catalyst where management guidance and order commentary could drive stock moves either way. Earnings Date Announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple bullish write-ups and analyst summaries reiterate a favorable long-term thesis (AI + memory capex), but note AMAT’s rich valuation — these pieces support investor interest but also highlight that upside depends on execution and sustained end-market spending. Is Applied Materials a Good Stock To Buy Now?
• Negative Sentiment: Micron is pushing U.S. lawmakers for tighter export restrictions on chipmaking tools; new legislation (and pressure on foreign vendors to align) could limit AMAT’s addressable market in China or complicate sales, creating regulatory risk to revenue. Micron Pushes US Congress on Equipment Sales

Applied Materials 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.