Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Stock: Sigma Planning Corp Reduces Holdings

Sigma Planning Corp lessened its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 16.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 10,114 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 1,944 shares during the quarter. Sigma Planning Corp’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $5,172,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AMAT. Guardian Investment Management lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. Guardian Investment Management now owns 3,143 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,608,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. Brucke Financial Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 14.4% in the 3rd quarter. Brucke Financial Inc. now owns 2,413 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,234,000 after purchasing an additional 304 shares during the last quarter. Norris Perne & French LLP MI boosted its holdings in Applied Materials by 122.9% in the third quarter. Norris Perne & French LLP MI now owns 126,380 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $64,628,000 after purchasing an additional 69,684 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC boosted its holdings in Applied Materials by 5.1% in the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 20,657 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $10,563,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BG Investment Services LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials in the third quarter worth $1,814,000. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Applied Materials

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on AMAT. B. Riley Financial reissued a “buy” rating and set a $700.00 target price (down from $790.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $710.00 price target (up from $550.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Applied Materials from $642.00 to $563.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, September 28th. Needham & Company LLC lowered their price objective on Applied Materials from $740.00 to $580.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 16th. Finally, TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating and set a $700.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a report 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $632.70.

Applied Materials Price Performance

NASDAQ AMAT opened at $387.59 on Tuesday. 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 company has a fifty day simple moving average of $468.42 and a 200 day simple moving average of $440.96. The company has a market cap of $307.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.41, a P/E/G 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.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $9.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.99 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 30.05% and a return on equity of 38.02%. Applied Materials’s revenue was up 24.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.48 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be paid 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 payout ratio is presently 18.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Applied Materials news, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $465.00, for a total value of $465,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 25,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,877,960. This trade represents a 3.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s 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 in the company, valued at $61,637,780.25. This trade represents a 5.51% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 9,225 shares of company stock valued at $4,454,181. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

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.