Principle Wealth Partners LLC Sells 1,390 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Principle Wealth Partners LLC cut its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 36.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,406 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 1,390 shares during the period. Principle Wealth Partners LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $441,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the first quarter worth about $29,000. Maseco LLP bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the second quarter worth about $30,000. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd increased its position in shares of Applied Materials by 435.0% during the first quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 214 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Activest Wealth Management increased its position in shares of Applied Materials by 5,325.0% during the first quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 217 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 213 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Disciplina Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Applied Materials by 91.5% during the first quarter. Disciplina Capital Management LLC now owns 272 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Applied Materials Stock Up 3.6%

Applied Materials stock opened at $228.47 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $123.74 and a twelve month high of $232.07. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $189.84 and a 200-day moving average price of $176.60. The company has a market capitalization of $182.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.23, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 1.82. 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 (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.48 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.36 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $7.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.21 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 23.88% and a return on equity of 40.96%. Applied Materials’s revenue was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.12 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 1.910-2.310 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 20th will be issued a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 20th. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is 21.93%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Summit Insights downgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, August 15th. B. Riley upped their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $200.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 10th. Daiwa America downgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Daiwa Capital Markets reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $170.00 price objective (down from $185.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. Eighteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $209.15.

About Applied Materials

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.