Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Acquired by Stephens Inc. AR

Stephens Inc. AR boosted its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 4.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 34,506 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,550 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $11,931,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC grew its position 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 worth $30,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Dogwood Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 52.4% in the fourth quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 128 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In other news, CEO Gary E. Dickerson sold 71,727 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $593.75, for a total transaction of $42,587,906.25. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,695,164 shares in the company, valued at $1,006,503,625. The trade was a 4.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Omkaram Nalamasu sold 24,263 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $593.43, for a total transaction of $14,398,392.09. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 146,916 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $87,184,361.88. This represents a 14.17% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 278,088 shares of company stock worth $169,654,805 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AMAT has been the subject of a number of research reports. KeyCorp lifted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $550.00 to $750.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, June 29th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price objective on Applied Materials from $650.00 to $850.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Susquehanna lifted their price objective on Applied Materials from $575.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners started coverage on Applied Materials in a research report on Monday, May 4th. They set a “buy” rating and a $500.00 target price on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $569.65.

Trending Headlines about Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs raised its price target on Applied Materials to $645, reinforcing a bullish view on the company and helping fuel the semiconductor rally. 2 Chip Stocks Driving Today’s Rally With Lofty Bull Notes
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley increased its price target on AMAT from $502 to $647, while keeping an equal-weight rating, signaling improved expectations for the stock’s valuation. Susquehanna Lifts PT on Applied Materials (AMAT) – Here’s Why
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials unveiled its AI-powered SENZ platform, designed to speed development of smart glasses by integrating optics, light engines, vision correction, and dimming into one system. That supports the company’s AI growth narrative and could open new product opportunities. Applied Materials (AMAT) Unveils AI-Powered SENZ Platform to Accelerate Smart Glasses Development
• Positive Sentiment: Chip stocks are broadly rallying as investors position around strong AI and semiconductor demand, which is helping lift Applied Materials along with the sector. The Second-Biggest Stock Sale in History Hits the Nasdaq Friday, and Chip Stocks Are Ripping
• Neutral Sentiment: Several recent market commentaries and “best stocks to buy” articles have highlighted AMAT’s momentum, but these are more sentiment indicators than direct catalysts for the shares. Is Applied Materials (AMAT) One of the Best Stocks on the Rise to Invest In?
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor interest in AMAT remains elevated, with Zacks noting the stock has been trending among users, but this does not by itself change fundamentals. Is Trending Stock Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT) a Buy Now?

Applied Materials Price Performance

AMAT stock traded down $56.49 on Tuesday, reaching $536.30. The company had a trading volume of 4,275,051 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,249,403. The company’s fifty day moving average is $499.51 and its 200 day moving average is $391.80. The company has a market cap of $425.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.35, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a current ratio of 2.51. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $154.46 and a 1 year high of $739.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The company had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.68 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.39 earnings per share. Applied Materials’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, research analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th will be given 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, August 20th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.91%.

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.