Smithbridge Asset Management Inc. DE Trims Stock Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Smithbridge Asset Management Inc. DE cut its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 36.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 54,865 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 31,774 shares during the period. Applied Materials comprises approximately 2.8% of Smithbridge Asset Management Inc. DE’s holdings, making the stock its 6th biggest position. Smithbridge Asset Management Inc. DE’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $18,752,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. EJMK Ventures LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 19.7% in the 1st quarter. EJMK Ventures LLC now owns 2,283 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $780,000 after purchasing an additional 375 shares during the last quarter. Deltec Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials during the 1st quarter worth $1,709,000. Balentine LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials during the 1st quarter worth $415,000. Whelan Financial increased its position in Applied Materials by 3.1% in the first quarter. Whelan Financial now owns 1,754 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $600,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the period. Finally, Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in Applied Materials in the first quarter valued at $73,000. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Stock Down 10.0%

AMAT stock opened at $650.91 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $491.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $386.97. The company has a market capitalization of $516.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 61.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.56. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $154.46 and a 52 week high of $739.67. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.39 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.91%.

Trending Headlines about Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remained constructive on Applied Materials, with Erste Group raising FY2026 and FY2027 EPS estimates and Cantor Fitzgerald lifting its price target to $850 while keeping an Overweight rating.
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage highlighted Applied Materials as a major beneficiary of AI-driven chip spending, with the stock hitting all-time highs and posting its best monthly rally since 1975, supported by stronger earnings expectations and improved sentiment across semiconductor equipment names.
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader market commentary noted that chip stocks were the main laggard even as most equities moved higher, suggesting sector rotation rather than company-specific fundamentals may have pressured AMAT.
• Negative Sentiment: Technical analysts warned that Applied Materials had become extremely overbought and could be due for a reversal after its steep surge, which may have contributed to profit-taking.
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Gary E. Dickerson disclosed two stock sales totaling more than 78,000 shares over June 29-30, a move that can weigh on sentiment even though he still retains a very large stake.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Omkaram Nalamasu sold 24,263 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $593.43, for a total value of $14,398,392.09. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 146,916 shares in the company, valued at $87,184,361.88. This represents a 14.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Timothy M. Deane sold 8,621 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $590.76, for a total value of $5,092,941.96. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 134,631 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $79,534,609.56. This represents a 6.02% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 278,088 shares of company stock worth $169,654,805. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AMAT has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $715.00 to $740.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. Needham & Company LLC upped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $440.00 to $530.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $450.00 to $550.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $530.00 price objective on Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 23rd. Twenty-seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $553.56.

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.