Moran Wealth Management LLC Sells 4,512 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Moran Wealth Management LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 8.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 46,459 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 4,512 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials accounts for approximately 0.9% of Moran Wealth Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Moran Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $33,590,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Applied Materials by 4.3% during the second quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 409 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $296,000 after acquiring an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. Innovative Asset Advisors Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. Innovative Asset Advisors Group LLC now owns 961 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $695,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC now owns 1,003 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $725,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Basecamp Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Basecamp Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,288 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,124,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Financial Management Professionals Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 2.2% in the 2nd quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 1,040 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $752,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AMAT has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wolfe Research boosted their target price on Applied Materials from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Mizuho raised their price target on Applied Materials from $540.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Craig Hallum lifted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $530.00 to $585.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $530.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, KeyCorp increased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $550.00 to $750.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $643.50.

Applied Materials Stock Down 3.9%

NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $514.33 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 2.42 and a quick ratio of 1.79. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1-year low of $154.46 and a 1-year high of $739.67. The company has a 50-day moving average of $565.31 and a 200 day moving average of $448.45. The firm 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a net margin of 30.05% and a return on equity of 38.02%. The business had revenue of $9.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.99 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.48 EPS. The company’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. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is 18.28%.

Trending Headlines about Applied Materials

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

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, Director Thomas J. Iannotti sold 9,250 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $599.77, for a total transaction of $5,547,872.50. Following the sale, the director owned 40,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,326,071.43. This trade represents a 18.57% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Omkaram Nalamasu sold 24,263 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $593.43, for a total value of $14,398,392.09. Following the completion of the transaction, 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 278,088 shares of company stock valued at $169,654,805 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

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.