Foster & Motley Inc. Purchases 2,582 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Foster & Motley Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 15.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 19,568 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 2,582 shares during the quarter. Foster & Motley Inc.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $14,148,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of AMAT. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Harborfront Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Financial Freedom LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Joseph Group Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on AMAT shares. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $740.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Seaport Research Partners reissued a “buy” rating and set a $575.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, August 14th. UBS Group set a $675.00 price objective on Applied Materials and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $715.00 to $740.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Finally, 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 report on Friday, August 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $659.83.

Key Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: AI demand supports the long-term outlook. JPMorgan reiterated an Overweight rating and estimates semiconductor-systems revenue could grow about 40% this year, with AI-related investment accounting for roughly 80% of chip-equipment demand. Applied Materials Sees Years Of AI-Fueled Growth Ahead
• Positive Sentiment: Advanced packaging and memory opportunities remain catalysts. New equipment launches are strengthening Applied Materials’ position in advanced packaging as demand for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and semiconductor manufacturing capacity expands. Can Applied Materials Sustain Its Growth Amid AI-Driven Demand?
• Positive Sentiment: Brokerage coverage remains favorable. Berenberg issued a Buy rating, while broader analyst recommendations continue to point toward adding AMAT to portfolios. However, investors should note that consensus ratings can be overly optimistic because they are based on sell-side opinions. Applied Materials Receives a Buy from Berenberg Bank
• Neutral Sentiment: Fundamentals were stronger than expected, but the market response was weak. Applied Materials reported record fiscal third-quarter revenue of $9.12 billion, up 25% year over year, and exceeded consensus EPS and revenue estimates. Its above-consensus outlook was apparently insufficient to overcome high expectations and valuation concerns. Applied Materials Delivered a Record Quarter. The Stock Fell Anyway
• Negative Sentiment: High-profile bearish positioning is weighing on sentiment. Paul Tudor Jones reportedly liquidated his AMAT common-stock position and increased his put exposure, while Dr. Michael Burry is also betting against the shares. These trades raise concerns about semiconductor-cycle risks and whether future foundry capital spending will meet already elevated expectations. Paul Tudor Jones Liquidated His Applied Materials Stake

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Applied Materials news, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $505.28, for a total transaction of $25,264,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 356,642 shares in the company, valued at $180,204,069.76. This represents a 12.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Thomas J. Iannotti sold 9,250 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $599.77, for a total transaction of $5,547,872.50. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 40,559 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,326,071.43. This trade represents a 18.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 277,820 shares of company stock worth $169,538,434. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Applied Materials stock opened at $492.32 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $390.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.61. Applied Materials, Inc. has a one year low of $154.46 and a one year high of $739.67. The business has a fifty day moving average of $562.67 and a two-hundred day moving average of $451.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a current ratio of 2.42.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $9.12 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.99 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.48 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.8% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.28%.

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.