SFE Investment Counsel Sells 1,336 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

SFE Investment Counsel decreased its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 6.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 19,257 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 1,336 shares during the quarter. SFE Investment Counsel’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $6,582,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 34.2% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 641,828 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $219,370,000 after acquiring an additional 163,703 shares during the period. Glass Wealth Management Co LLC increased its position in shares of Applied Materials by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. Glass Wealth Management Co LLC now owns 20,258 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $6,924,000 after purchasing an additional 506 shares in the last quarter. Sovran Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Applied Materials by 6.8% during the 1st quarter. Sovran Advisors LLC now owns 6,297 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,152,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Markel Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Applied Materials by 6.6% during the 1st quarter. Markel Group Inc. now owns 36,350 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $12,424,000 after purchasing an additional 2,250 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sachetta LLC lifted its holdings in Applied Materials by 187.2% during the 1st quarter. Sachetta LLC now owns 135 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, SVP Omkaram Nalamasu sold 24,263 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $593.43, for a total transaction of $14,398,392.09. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 146,916 shares in the company, valued at approximately $87,184,361.88. This trade represents a 14.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $633.53, for a total value of $6,335,300.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 346,642 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $219,608,106.26. The trade was a 2.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 278,088 shares of company stock valued at $169,654,805 over the last quarter. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Applied Materials Trading Up 2.4%

NASDAQ:AMAT traded up $13.84 on Friday, hitting $602.50. 6,270,022 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 12,077,411. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a current ratio of 2.51. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $154.46 and a 52 week high of $739.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $478.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 56.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.57. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $517.90 and its 200 day moving average price is $402.29.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. Applied Materials had a net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. The business had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.39 earnings per share. Applied Materials’s revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be given a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.91%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on AMAT. HC Wainwright set a $850.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Susquehanna increased their price target on Applied Materials from $575.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Applied Materials from $530.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on Applied Materials from $450.00 to $550.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, KeyCorp increased their target price on Applied Materials from $550.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $589.48.

Trending Headlines about Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials rallied after CEO Gary Dickerson said chipmakers have “tremendous visibility” into demand, implying the AI investment cycle could support equipment orders for years rather than quarters. Applied Materials (AMAT) Stock Jumps after CEO Says AI Chip Demand Has Years to Run
• Positive Sentiment: Meta Platforms’ reported plan to begin manufacturing an in-house AI chip helped spark a broader rally in semiconductor equipment stocks, including Applied Materials, on expectations that AI infrastructure spending will remain strong. Applied Materials stock jumps as Meta AI chip plan lifts semiconductor names
• Positive Sentiment: Stifel and Needham both raised their price targets on AMAT and kept buy ratings, reinforcing the view that improving fundamentals and AI-driven demand could support further upside. Applied Materials PT Raised to $650 at Stifel
• Neutral Sentiment: Applied Materials was removed from several Russell value-oriented indices in late June, a classification change that reflects the stock’s shift toward being viewed more as an AI/semiconductor growth name than a value stock. How Investors Are Reacting To Applied Materials (AMAT) Being Dropped From Key Russell Value Indices
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data showed no reported short interest as of July 10, offering little evidence of bearish positioning from the latest filing.

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.