Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Sold by Stoneridge Investment Partners LLC

Stoneridge Investment Partners LLC trimmed its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 24.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,471 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 1,107 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials makes up about 1.6% of Stoneridge Investment Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. Stoneridge Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $2,510,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AMAT. Financial Freedom LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the first quarter valued at $28,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 34.8% in the second quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 93 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $67,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares during the period. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 218.8% during the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 102 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials has gained significant investor attention as a key beneficiary of AI-related semiconductor and memory-fabrication investment. Its broad equipment portfolio and exposure to strong chip demand support the longer-term growth outlook. Applied Materials Rockets 98% in 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary remains broadly constructive, citing AI-driven growth, semiconductor demand and Applied Materials’ diversified product portfolio as reasons to hold the stock despite its premium valuation. Should You Buy, Sell or Hold AMAT Stock
• Positive Sentiment: B. Riley and Needham reiterated Buy ratings, while separate analyst reports raised price targets to $600 and $660, reinforcing bullish expectations for continued earnings and industry growth. Applied Materials Buy Rating Reiterated
• Neutral Sentiment: Applied Materials has substantially outperformed Lam Research and KLA in the 2026 AI-capex rally. The comparison suggests the shares have greater momentum but may also face higher expectations if chip-equipment spending slows. AMAT Compared With Lam Research and KLA
• Negative Sentiment: Recent doubts about the durability of AI spending triggered a broad pullback in chip-equipment stocks. Applied Materials’ roughly 98% year-to-date advance leaves the stock particularly exposed to de-risking and profit-taking.
• Negative Sentiment: One analysis argues that AMAT is “priced for perfection,” while another notes that beating Wall Street estimates may not be sufficient to support further gains when valuation and forward expectations are already demanding. Applied Materials Is Priced for Perfection

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently weighed in on AMAT. William Blair started coverage on Applied Materials in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. They issued a “market perform” rating for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price objective on Applied Materials from $675.00 to $700.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday. B. Riley Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $700.00 target price (down from $790.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $700.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, August 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $643.50.

Applied Materials Stock Down 3.9%

AMAT opened at $514.33 on Wednesday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $154.46 and a twelve month high of $739.67. The company has a quick ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 2.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $565.31 and a 200 day moving average price of $448.45. The company has a market cap of $408.36 billion, a PE ratio of 44.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.61.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a net margin of 30.05% and a return on equity of 38.02%. The firm had revenue of $9.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.99 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.48 EPS. Applied Materials’s quarterly revenue was up 24.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be given a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.28%.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In related news, SVP Timothy M. Deane sold 8,621 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $590.76, for a total value of $5,092,941.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 134,631 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $79,534,609.56. This represents a 6.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $633.53, for a total value of $6,335,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 346,642 shares in the company, valued at $219,608,106.26. The trade was a 2.80% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders sold 278,088 shares of company stock valued at $169,654,805. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Company 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.