Eastern Bank Lowers Stake in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Eastern Bank reduced its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 5.0% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 76,969 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 4,085 shares during the quarter. Eastern Bank’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $55,649,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Trust Co of the South increased its stake in Applied Materials by 22.2% in the second quarter. Trust Co of the South now owns 1,007 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $728,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. VectorGlobal IAG Inc. purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the first quarter valued at about $1,644,000. Basecamp Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 0.7% during the first quarter. Basecamp Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,288 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $1,124,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Sapient Capital LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials during the first quarter worth about $217,000. Finally, Western Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 16.1% in the 1st quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,829 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $1,650,000 after purchasing an additional 669 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Applied Materials News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials has a strong history of exceeding earnings expectations, and analysts say current earnings-estimate trends and other indicators point to a potential beat in its upcoming quarterly report. This raises expectations for continued revenue and earnings momentum. Will Applied Materials Beat Estimates Again in Its Next Earnings Report?
• Positive Sentiment: The stock outperformed the broader market in the latest trading session, suggesting investors continue to favor Applied Materials despite volatility across semiconductor stocks. Applied Materials Outperforms Broader Market
• Neutral Sentiment: Applied Materials was described as having strong fundamentals, but one analyst downgraded the shares ahead of earnings. The report signals that expectations may already be elevated and that the company will need to deliver strong results or guidance to support further gains. Applied Materials Strong Fundamentals, But I’m Downgrading Ahead of Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Semiconductor stocks faced pressure from fears that increased competition from China could challenge U.S. chip-equipment companies. The concern could weigh on Applied Materials through pricing pressure, market-share risks or restrictions affecting China-related demand. Semiconductor Stocks Sink Over Fears of Increased Competition From China

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of AMAT stock opened at $518.21 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $411.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.61. Applied Materials, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $154.46 and a fifty-two week high of $739.67. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $552.58 and its 200-day moving average price is $432.35. 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 (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced 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. The company had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.39 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.14 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. Shareholders 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 of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is presently 19.91%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on AMAT. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on Applied Materials from $500.00 to $520.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Wolfe Research upped their target price on Applied Materials from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $400.00 to $515.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $525.00 to $700.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $450.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. One 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. According to MarketBeat, Applied Materials presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $603.23.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $505.28, for a total value of $25,264,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 356,642 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $180,204,069.76. This trade represents a 12.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Gary E. Dickerson sold 71,727 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,006,503,625. This represents a 4.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 278,088 shares of company stock worth $169,654,805. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

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.