Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Bought by Plimoth Trust Co. LLC

Plimoth Trust Co. LLC grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 5.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 27,618 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,545 shares during the period. Applied Materials comprises about 2.6% of Plimoth Trust Co. LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 7th biggest holding. Plimoth Trust Co. LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $14,123,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of AMAT. BlackRock Inc. increased its stake in Applied Materials by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 80,212,518 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $57,993,650,000 after purchasing an additional 1,237,685 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in Applied Materials by 85.4% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 69,525,842 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $50,267,184,000 after buying an additional 32,018,892 shares during the period. Amundi raised its holdings in Applied Materials by 19.0% during the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 7,808,207 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $5,645,344,000 after buying an additional 1,246,876 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 16.2% during the second quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 7,713,599 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $5,576,932,000 after buying an additional 1,073,879 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the second quarter valued at about $5,252,863,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $479.25, for a total value of $3,594,375.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 128,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $61,637,780.25. This represents a 5.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $465.00, for a total transaction of $465,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 25,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,877,960. This trade represents a 3.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 9,225 shares of company stock worth $4,454,181 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Stock Up 2.7%

NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $387.59 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $307.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.41, a PEG ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.60. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1-year low of $203.40 and a 1-year high of $739.67. The company has a current ratio of 2.42, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $468.42 and its 200 day moving average price is $440.96.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 38.02% and a net margin of 30.05%. The firm had revenue of $9.12 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.99 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.48 EPS. The business’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. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be issued a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.28%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on AMAT shares. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $675.00 to $700.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Applied Materials from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Susquehanna boosted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $575.00 to $900.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $720.00 to $650.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Thirty investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $632.70.

More Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Expanded Besi investment strengthens advanced-packaging strategy. Applied Materials agreed to increase its stake in Besi to approximately 20% through an accelerated share purchase. The investment gives AMAT deeper exposure to semiconductor assembly and advanced-packaging equipment, areas expected to benefit from increasingly complex chips and AI infrastructure. Applied Materials to Increase its Strategic Investment in BE Semiconductor Industries
• Positive Sentiment: Margin expansion remains a key bullish theme. Coverage highlighted investor focus on Applied Materials’ ambition to achieve roughly 40% margins. Progress toward that goal could support earnings growth and reinforce the company’s premium valuation. Applied Materials Stocks Gain With 40% Margin Ambition in Focus
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst earnings estimates were raised. Erste Group Bank analysts increased their earnings expectations for AMAT, providing an additional positive signal for the semiconductor-equipment maker’s profit outlook. Erste Group Bank Analysts Raise Earnings Estimates for AMAT
• Neutral Sentiment: Market coverage noted that Applied Materials outperformed the broader market during the latest session, but the report offered limited new fundamental information. Applied Materials Surpasses Market Returns
• Negative Sentiment: AI-spending and valuation risks remain. Bearish commentary argued that cooling enthusiasm toward AI and a potential slowdown in semiconductor capital expenditures could pressure equipment demand, although AMAT’s durable long-term growth prospects may limit the downside. Applied Materials’ Meltdown Is a Gift as Durable Capex Meets Cooling AI Sentiments

Applied Materials Profile

Applied Materials, Inc is a technology company that supplies equipment, services and software used to manufacture semiconductors and advanced displays. Its products help customers fabricate the integrated circuits and other components used in computers, mobile devices, data centers, automobiles and a range of connected technologies.

The company’s offerings include systems for materials engineering, wafer fabrication, inspection and process control, along with equipment and services designed to improve manufacturing productivity and yield.