FourThought Financial Partners LLC Has $10.83 Million Stock Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

FourThought Financial Partners LLC lessened its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 4.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 42,123 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 1,982 shares during the period. FourThought Financial Partners LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $10,825,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AMAT. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in Applied Materials by 48.7% during the fourth quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 52.4% in the fourth quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 128 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Finally, IMG Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 147.2% in the fourth quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 131 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $450.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, March 27th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $480.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Applied Materials to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 16th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $415.00 to $510.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Twenty-seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $465.14.

More Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials was named a Zacks Rank #1 momentum stock, reinforcing bullish investor sentiment around the shares. Best Momentum Stocks to Buy for May 20th
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials announced Broadcom as an EPIC Innovation Partner, a collaboration aimed at accelerating advanced packaging technologies for next-generation AI chips and systems. Applied Materials Announces Broadcom as EPIC Innovation Partner
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple reports highlighted AMAT’s strong operating leverage, with AI demand, premium chip tools, and recurring services helping margins improve to a 25-year high. Applied Materials Gains From Rising Operating Leverage: What’s Ahead?
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary and comparisons versus Lam Research continued to frame Applied Materials as a key AI equipment winner, supported by diversified tools and attractive valuation. Lam Research vs. Applied Materials: Which AI Chip Stock Has the Edge?
• Neutral Sentiment: Applied Materials received a Supplier Excellence Award, which is a positive operational signal but is unlikely to materially move the stock by itself. Applied Energy Systems Receives Supplier Excellence Award from Applied Materials
• Negative Sentiment: Semiconductor shares faced some pressure after broader sector selling tied to Samsung labor-strike concerns and TSMC-related headlines, which weighed on AMAT alongside peers. MACOM, Applied Materials, and Photronics Shares Are Falling, What You Need To Know
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley reportedly downgraded Applied Materials, which may temper enthusiasm despite the company’s strong AI and earnings momentum. Morgan Stanley downgrades Applied Materials (AMAT)

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Applied Materials news, Director Judy Bruner sold 2,500 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $391.71, for a total transaction of $979,275.00. Following the sale, the director owned 26,089 shares in the company, valued at $10,219,322.19. The trade was a 8.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares of Applied Materials 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 sale, the chief accounting officer owned 4,625 shares in the company, valued at $1,753,615. This represents a 10.35% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 7,003 shares of company stock worth $2,678,139 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Stock Up 4.9%

AMAT opened at $426.85 on Thursday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $153.47 and a fifty-two week high of $448.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 2.51 and a quick ratio of 1.80. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $383.84 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $323.95. The company has a market capitalization of $338.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.08, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.66.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 the consensus estimate of $7.68 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.39 earnings per share. The business’s revenue 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. On average, analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 11.93 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. 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 yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is presently 17.28%.

About Applied Materials

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.