Financial Advocates Investment Management Cuts Stock Position in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Financial Advocates Investment Management cut its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 31.0% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 1,690 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 760 shares during the period. Financial Advocates Investment Management’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $309,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AMAT. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in Applied Materials by 28.0% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,674 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,061,000 after buying an additional 2,771 shares during the last quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 23.5% in the first quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,455 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $356,000 after acquiring an additional 467 shares in the last quarter. Davis R M Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 11.5% in the first quarter. Davis R M Inc. now owns 3,753 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $545,000 after acquiring an additional 386 shares during the last quarter. Hoxton Planning & Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the first quarter worth approximately $298,000. Finally, Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC raised its stake in Applied Materials by 12.2% in the 1st quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 4,992 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $724,000 after purchasing an additional 542 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Applied Materials Price Performance

NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $252.03 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $123.74 and a 52 week high of $252.66. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $224.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $192.43. The company has a market capitalization of $200.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.04, a P/E/G ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 1.84. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.11 by $0.06. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 40.96% and a net margin of 23.88%.During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.32 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.980-2.380 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 20th will be issued a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 20th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.20%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In related news, SVP Teri A. Little sold 4,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.24, for a total value of $952,960.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 84,351 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,095,782.24. This trade represents a 4.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Cfra Research raised shares of Applied Materials to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, August 15th. Summit Insights downgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, August 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 14th. Finally, Wolfe Research cut their price target on Applied Materials from $230.00 to $200.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 15th. Twenty investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $228.04.

Applied Materials 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.