Applied Materials Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) was the target of unusually large options trading on Thursday. Stock investors purchased 48,077 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 57% compared to the typical volume of 30,534 call options.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on AMAT. Mizuho reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $175.00 target price (down previously from $200.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, September 12th. DZ Bank cut Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $150.00 price target for the company. in a report on Friday, August 15th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Applied Materials from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 15th. Barclays upped their price target on Applied Materials from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Applied Materials from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 15th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $192.92.

Applied Materials Trading Up 6.5%

NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $189.76 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 2.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. Applied Materials has a 1-year low of $123.74 and a 1-year high of $215.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $151.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.77. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $176.45 and a 200 day simple moving average of $165.25.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.48 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.36 by $0.12. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 40.96% and a net margin of 23.88%.The business had revenue of $7.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.21 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.12 EPS. Applied Materials’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 1.910-2.310 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Applied Materials will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 20th. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is 21.93%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 562 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.60, for a total transaction of $100,373.20. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 5,300 shares in the company, valued at approximately $946,580. The trade was a 9.59% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Applied Materials

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in AMAT. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 972.2% during the 1st quarter. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 193 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials in the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Maseco LLP acquired a new stake in Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd lifted its holdings in Applied Materials by 435.0% in the 1st quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 214 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Activest Wealth Management lifted its holdings in Applied Materials by 5,325.0% in the 1st quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 217 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 213 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Materials Company Profile

Applied Materials, Inc engages in the provision of manufacturing equipment, services, and software to the semiconductor, display, and related industries. The company operates through three segments: Semiconductor Systems, Applied Global Services, and Display and Adjacent Markets. The Semiconductor Systems segment develops, manufactures, and sells various manufacturing equipment that is used to fabricate semiconductor chips or integrated circuits.