Venturi Wealth Management LLC Cuts Position in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Venturi Wealth Management LLC trimmed its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 46.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 13,893 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 11,865 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $4,748,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in AMAT. Riverstone Advisors LLC boosted its position in Applied Materials by 0.9% during the first quarter. Riverstone Advisors LLC now owns 8,576 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,931,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC grew its stake in Applied Materials by 5.8% in the first quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC now owns 10,495 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $3,587,000 after purchasing an additional 579 shares during the last quarter. Welch Group LLC raised its holdings in Applied Materials by 1,040.8% in the first quarter. Welch Group LLC now owns 21,881 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $7,479,000 after purchasing an additional 19,963 shares in the last quarter. Poehling Capital Management INC. bought a new position in Applied Materials in the first quarter worth about $393,000. Finally, GHP Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 5.6% during the first quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 37,772 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $12,910,000 after buying an additional 2,017 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on AMAT. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $510.00 to $770.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $550.00 to $710.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. Susquehanna increased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $435.00 to $500.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $715.00 to $740.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price target on Applied Materials from $575.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. Twenty-seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $518.19.

Applied Materials News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials introduced new systems for DRAM and advanced packaging, expanding its role in AI chip manufacturing and potentially boosting future demand. Applied Materials Introduces New Systems to Accelerate DRAM and Advanced Packaging for AI Chips
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts said AMAT’s event highlighted strong opportunities in DRAM and advanced packaging, reinforcing the company’s AI-driven growth narrative. Applied Materials’ event focuses on DRAM, and advanced packaging: analysts
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street commentary remains constructive, with analysts still confident in Applied Materials’ strong competitive position. AMAT stock gets thumbs up from Wall Street – analysts remain confident about Applied Materials’ strong market position
• Neutral Sentiment: Some coverage suggests the stock may be looking expensive after its recent rally, which could limit near-term upside even if the long-term AI story stays intact. Applied Materials stock looks pricey—can AI demand justify the rally?
• Neutral Sentiment: One analysis noted that Applied Materials’ aggressive investment strategy may pressure cash flow in the near term, even though it supports longer-term growth. Can AMAT’s Investment Strategy Lift Future Cash Flow Growth?

Applied Materials Stock Down 6.2%

Shares of AMAT stock opened at $626.84 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $473.54 and its 200-day simple moving average is $377.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a current ratio of 2.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $497.69 billion, a PE ratio of 58.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.67. Applied Materials, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $154.46 and a fifty-two week high of $669.22.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.39 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is presently 19.91%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In related news, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $633.53, for a total transaction of $6,335,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 346,642 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $219,608,106.26. This trade represents a 2.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Thomas J. Iannotti sold 9,250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $599.77, for a total transaction of $5,547,872.50. Following the transaction, the director owned 40,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $24,326,071.43. This represents a 18.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 199,767 shares of company stock worth $114,104,709. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Company Profile

Applied Materials, Inc is a U.S.-based supplier of equipment, services and software used to manufacture semiconductor chips, flat panel displays and other advanced materials. Headquartered in Santa Clara, California, the company designs and sells capital equipment and related technologies that enable production of integrated circuits, display panels and materials used across the electronics supply chain.

Applied Materials’ offerings include process equipment and factory software that support critical steps in device fabrication, such as deposition, etch, implantation, inspection and metrology, as well as systems for packaging and advanced heterogeneous integration.