Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Sold by Johnson Financial Group Inc.

Johnson Financial Group Inc. lowered its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 7.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,503 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 1,235 shares during the quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $4,957,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Financial Freedom LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials in the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in Applied Materials by 48.7% during the fourth quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Materials Price Performance

AMAT stock opened at $525.70 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $534.76 and its two-hundred day moving average is $415.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 2.51 and a quick ratio of 1.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $417.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.57. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $154.46 and a 1 year high of $739.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. The firm’s revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.39 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.91%.

Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials joined CuspAI’s newly launched AI Materials Foundry as a founding member, a move that could help accelerate semiconductor materials discovery and reinforce AMAT’s role in next-generation chip manufacturing. Applied Materials Joins CuspAI Foundry To Speed Semiconductor Materials Discovery
• Positive Sentiment: Industry commentary from Zacks highlighted AMAT as one of several semiconductor names benefiting from the growing proliferation of AI, which continues to support demand for advanced chips and equipment. 3 Stocks to Buy From the Prospering Semiconductor Industry
• Positive Sentiment: Another Zacks piece pointed to bullish Wall Street views on Applied Materials, suggesting analysts still see solid longer-term fundamentals for the stock. Should You Invest in Applied Materials Based on Bullish Wall Street Views?
• Neutral Sentiment: Applied Materials continues to be viewed favorably by brokerages overall, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating, which helps support sentiment but is not a fresh catalyst. Applied Materials Given Consensus Rating of Moderate Buy by Brokerages
• Negative Sentiment: InvestorPlace flagged a bearish seasonal signal for AMAT heading into late July, which may be pressuring sentiment in the near term. Three Stocks Just Flashed Seasonal Signals
• Negative Sentiment: AMAT also appears to be moving with the broader semiconductor downturn, as the SOX index has fallen into a bear market and investors worry the AI-driven rally may be losing momentum. Semiconductor stocks enter bear market: Is bubble burst next?

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AMAT has been the topic of several research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $390.00 to $520.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Argus lifted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $420.00 to $500.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 19th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $510.00 to $770.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. HC Wainwright set a $850.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Monday, June 29th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given 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 $593.84.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, SVP Omkaram Nalamasu sold 24,263 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $87,184,361.88. The trade was a 14.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Thomas J. Iannotti sold 9,250 shares of Applied Materials 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 completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 40,559 shares in the company, valued at $24,326,071.43. The trade was a 18.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 278,088 shares of company stock valued at $169,654,805. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.