Westerkirk Capital Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Westerkirk Capital Inc. raised its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 52.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 36,400 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 12,500 shares during the period. Applied Materials comprises 0.9% of Westerkirk Capital Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. Westerkirk Capital Inc.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $9,354,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Highline Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 48.7% in the 4th quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Joseph Group Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 52.4% in the 4th quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 128 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Finally, IMG Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 147.2% in the 4th quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 131 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Trading Up 8.6%

NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $492.17 on Tuesday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $154.46 and a 52 week high of $510.75. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $412.01 and a 200 day moving average of $344.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.80, a current ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $390.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.21, a PEG ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.68 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.39 earnings per share. Applied Materials’s revenue for the quarter 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. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The business 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 represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. This is a positive change from Applied Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.91%.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $505.28, for a total transaction of $25,264,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 356,642 shares in the company, valued at approximately $180,204,069.76. This represents a 12.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $498.86, for a total transaction of $1,247,150.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 136,113 shares in the company, valued at $67,901,331.18. The trade was a 1.80% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 53,896 shares of company stock worth $27,135,121. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on AMAT shares. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $465.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. KGI Securities raised shares of Applied Materials to an “outperform” rating and set a $425.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, February 13th. KeyCorp increased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $450.00 to $550.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 23rd. Twenty-seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $470.13.

More Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Semiconductor stocks recovered after a prior-day selloff, lifting Applied Materials along with peers such as KLA as investors bought the dip in the chip equipment group.
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street continues to view Applied Materials as a beneficiary of AI-driven spending on logic, DRAM, and advanced packaging, keeping bullish sentiment elevated around the stock.
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary from analysts has been supportive, with some firms maintaining buy or overweight ratings and others raising price targets, reinforcing expectations for further upside.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles this week focused on valuation and whether the stock is still attractive after a large year-to-date run, highlighting that expectations are already high after the recent rally.
• Neutral Sentiment: Applied Materials’ strong recent earnings and upbeat guidance remain part of the backdrop, but there was no new earnings release in the latest headlines to explain the day’s move.
• Negative Sentiment: Recent insider selling, including a reported CFO sale, may modestly temper investor enthusiasm even though it does not appear to be the main driver of today’s trading.

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.