Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Stock: Pictet Asset Management Holding SA Trims Stake

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA decreased its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 13.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,794,206 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 289,818 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials accounts for approximately 0.9% of Pictet Asset Management Holding SA’s holdings, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA owned approximately 0.23% of Applied Materials worth $917,518,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of AMAT. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the second quarter worth about $4,005,000. Caldwell Investment Management Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,589,000. CX Institutional grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 333.3% during the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 25,853 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $12,631,000 after acquiring an additional 19,886 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 3.0% in the 2nd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,008,591 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $729,211,000 after acquiring an additional 28,982 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 29.6% in the 2nd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 462,685 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $334,521,000 after acquiring an additional 105,776 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on AMAT. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 26th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Applied Materials from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $645.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $720.00 to $650.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Craig Hallum lifted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $530.00 to $585.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Thirty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $632.01.

Applied Materials News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: A rally in chip-equipment shares is lifting AMAT ahead of its fiscal fourth-quarter results, scheduled for November 12. The sector move followed Lam Research’s announcement of a $25 billion share buyback. Article: Applied Materials Stocks Rise as Chip Equipment Rallies Ahead of Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: AI-related equipment demand and growth in advanced packaging are cited as longer-term supports for Applied Materials, despite the recent pullback in chip stocks. Article: AMAT Shares Plunge 30% in a Month: Should You Buy, Sell or Hold?
• Neutral Sentiment: The upcoming results are a key near-term catalyst: investors will assess whether demand and equipment-spending expectations hold up in a more cautious investment environment. Article: Applied Materials Stocks Fall Before a Revenue Test
• Negative Sentiment: The rebound follows a sharp chip-stock sell-off, with investors worried that data-center spending could slow; weak Qualcomm guidance added to sector concerns. AMAT also recently faced pressure after an analyst downgrade. Article: Chip Stock Rout Deepens Article: Applied Materials Stock Falls After Analyst Downgrade

Applied Materials Stock Performance

NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $332.71 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $444.84 and a 200 day moving average price of $444.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $264.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.68, a P/E/G ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.67. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12-month low of $203.40 and a 12-month high of $739.67. The company has a current ratio of 2.42, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.

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

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be issued a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is 18.28%.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 725 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 2nd. The shares were 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 directly 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $479.25, for a total transaction of $3,594,375.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 128,613 shares in the company, valued at approximately $61,637,780.25. This represents a 5.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 9,225 shares of company stock valued at $4,454,181. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Applied Materials Company Profile

Applied Materials, Inc develops and supplies equipment, software and services used to manufacture semiconductors and advanced displays. Its technologies help customers build and process materials at the microscopic scale required for chips and other electronic products.

The company’s offerings include systems for depositing, removing and modifying materials, as well as inspection, measurement and process-control tools. It also provides equipment and services for advanced semiconductor packaging and supports customers with maintenance, upgrades and manufacturing software.

Founded in 1967 and headquartered in Santa Clara, California, Applied Materials serves semiconductor and display manufacturers around the world.