TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. grew its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT – Free Report) by 17.5% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 120,779 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 17,980 shares during the quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $87,323,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Harborfront Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Financial Freedom LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Dogwood Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 52.4% in the 4th quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 128 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In related news, Director Thomas Iannotti sold 9,250 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $599.77, for a total value of $5,547,872.50. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 40,559 shares in the company, valued at $24,326,071.43. This trade represents a 18.57% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Timothy M. Deane sold 8,621 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $590.76, for a total transaction of $5,092,941.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 134,631 shares in the company, valued at $79,534,609.56. This represents a 6.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 231,692 shares of company stock valued at $146,114,059. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
Applied Materials Price Performance
Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $9.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.99 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 38.02% and a net margin of 30.05%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.48 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.76 earnings per share for the current year.
Applied Materials Announces Dividend
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be issued 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 dividend yield of 0.5%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is presently 18.28%.
Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials
Here are the key news stories impacting Applied Materials this week:
- Positive Sentiment: AI infrastructure spending is supporting demand for Applied Materials’ semiconductor equipment, particularly in advanced packaging, DRAM and high-bandwidth memory (HBM). Accelerating global fab investment could sustain growth in wafer-fabrication equipment. AMAT Rides on AI-Led WFE Demand: Can it Sustain the Momentum?
- Positive Sentiment: Analysts have raised their Applied Materials earnings expectations, including an increase to the fiscal 2027 EPS estimate. UBS also reportedly sees meaningful potential appreciation, reinforcing the bullish outlook for the stock. FY2027 EPS Estimate for Applied Materials Boosted by Analyst
- Positive Sentiment: Management’s forecast was raised twice between February and August. Investors have re-rated AMAT based on improving forward expectations, even though trailing-twelve-month revenue growth was only 7.8%. Why Did Applied Materials Stock Nearly Triple on Single-Digit Trailing Revenue Growth?
- Neutral Sentiment: The semiconductor wafer-inspection market is expected to expand through 2035, driven by AI, electric vehicles, advanced nodes and advanced packaging. This supports Applied Materials’ long-term addressable market but does not necessarily provide an immediate earnings catalyst. Semiconductor Wafer Inspection Equipment Market Outlook 2025-2035
- Negative Sentiment: Valuation remains the main pressure point. After a roughly 237% five-year gain and a major year-to-date advance, investors may be demanding increasingly strong results to justify AMAT’s premium multiple. Can Applied Materials Still Look Cheap After a 237% Run?
- Negative Sentiment: The stock’s recent decline despite record revenue and above-consensus guidance suggests that expectations, profit-taking and concerns about the semiconductor cycle are outweighing the positive operating news. Applied Materials Just Dropped 14% in a Month. Sell Now, or Buy More?
Analysts Set New Price Targets
A number of equities analysts recently commented on AMAT shares. Raymond James Financial set a $650.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. KeyCorp lifted their price target on Applied Materials from $550.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 15th. Finally, HC Wainwright set a $850.00 target price on Applied Materials in a research report on Monday, June 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $658.45.
View Our Latest Stock Analysis on AMAT
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.
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