GK Wealth Management LLC Buys 1,125 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

GK Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 275.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,533 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,125 shares during the quarter. GK Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $784,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AMAT. Avity Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Avity Investment Management Inc. now owns 132,143 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $67,575,000 after purchasing an additional 1,076 shares in the last quarter. Bullock Wealth Management Group increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 4.5% in the third quarter. Bullock Wealth Management Group now owns 2,874 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,467,000 after buying an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. Avaii Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Applied Materials by 2,500.5% during the third quarter. Avaii Wealth Management LLC now owns 27,825 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $14,229,000 after buying an additional 26,755 shares in the last quarter. Riversedge Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Applied Materials by 11.3% during the 3rd quarter. Riversedge Advisors LLC now owns 805 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $412,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wedmont Private Capital lifted its holdings in Applied Materials by 6.1% during the 3rd quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 14,642 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $7,461,000 after buying an additional 839 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of Applied Materials stock traded down $2.54 on Friday, reaching $507.03. 3,338,899 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,867,691. The firm has a market cap of $402.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.60. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1-year low of $203.40 and a 1-year high of $739.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a current ratio of 2.42. The company’s 50-day moving average is $488.88 and its two-hundred day moving average is $481.82.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $9.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.99 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 38.02% and a net margin of 30.05%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.48 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.28%.

Key Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials announced that UCLA’s Samueli School of Engineering will join its EPIC Center to accelerate semiconductor research, process development and commercialization. The collaboration could strengthen the company’s technology pipeline and relationships with chip manufacturers. Applied Materials and UCLA Engineering Accelerate Semiconductor Innovation at the EPIC Center
• Positive Sentiment: Strong planned capital spending by TSMC—potentially reaching $64 billion—supports the outlook for semiconductor manufacturing-equipment suppliers. An Applied Materials veteran suggested TSMC may still need to invest more to meet demand, which could create additional opportunities for AMAT. TSMC Plans Up to $64 Billion in Capex
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary points to improving momentum in Applied Materials’ Applied Global Services business, supported by AI-enabled services, recurring revenue and sustained fabrication-facility demand through 2030. Recent comparisons also indicate AMAT’s revenue growth trajectory has strengthened relative to Qualcomm and Marvell Technology.
• Positive Sentiment: Recent quarterly results provide fundamental support: earnings and revenue exceeded consensus estimates, while revenue increased 24.8% year over year. Management’s fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings guidance also implies continued growth.
• Neutral Sentiment: Brokerage recommendations remain favorable, but the reports caution that average analyst ratings can be overly optimistic and should not be treated as a standalone buy signal. Brokers Suggest Investing in Applied Materials
• Neutral Sentiment: A short-interest update reported zero shares sold short and a zero-day days-to-cover ratio, although the wording describing a “significant increase” appears inconsistent with the reported figures. The data therefore offers little reliable directional information.
• Negative Sentiment: Applied Materials underperformed the broader market in the latest session, falling about 2.1%. Reports also linked the weakness to insider selling, which can raise concerns about near-term sentiment even when it does not change the company’s fundamentals. Applied Materials Stock Falls After Insider Selling
• Negative Sentiment: A member of Congress sold AMAT less than two months after purchasing it and missed a subsequent rally. While the transaction is not a fundamental development, the attention surrounding the sale may add to investor scrutiny. Congressman Sells Applied Materials Stock Before Recent Rally

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on AMAT shares. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on Applied Materials from $675.00 to $700.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Applied Materials from $715.00 to $740.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Argus set a $600.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 18th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $510.00 to $770.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $640.20.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $465.00, for a total transaction of $465,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 25,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,877,960. The trade was a 3.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 725 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $544.56, for a total transaction of $394,806.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 3,181 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,732,245.36. This trade represents a 18.56% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 9,225 shares of company stock worth $4,454,181. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Profile

Applied Materials, Inc is a global supplier of equipment, services and software used to manufacture semiconductor chips, flat-panel displays and other advanced electronic products. Its technologies help customers build and enhance materials at the nanoscale, supporting processes such as deposition, etching, inspection, metrology and packaging.

The company’s offerings include semiconductor manufacturing systems, process-control and inspection equipment, and services designed to improve the performance, productivity and longevity of production equipment.