Confluence Wealth Services Inc. Sells 1,367 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Confluence Wealth Services Inc. reduced its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 16.4% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 6,961 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 1,367 shares during the period. Confluence Wealth Services Inc.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $3,559,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Harborfront Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. Orion Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the second quarter worth $33,000. Highland Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter valued at $33,000. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. bought a new stake in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, Curry Webb Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Expanding high-bandwidth memory (HBM) capacity could drive demand for semiconductor manufacturing and advanced-packaging equipment, creating a potential growth opportunity for Applied Materials. The Next AI Chip Shortage May Be the Machines That Make HBM
• Positive Sentiment: B. Riley lowered its price target to $475 from $700 but maintained a Buy rating, leaving substantial implied upside from the cited share price. B. Riley Cut Its Applied Materials Target to $475. It Still Sees 28% Upside
• Neutral Sentiment: Options traders are anticipating a potentially large post-earnings move, signaling heightened volatility rather than a clear directional view. Investors will be watching results and the company’s outlook. Why Options Traders Expect a Major Post-Earnings Reaction
• Negative Sentiment: A technical analysis article says AMAT is nearing a “death cross” after a steep retreat from its high, which could signal further downside if the bearish pattern forms. Applied Materials Stock: Death Cross Pattern Nears Ahead of Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: ETFs sold about $200.2 million of Applied Materials shares on Friday, adding a short-term source of selling pressure. ETFs Are Net Sellers of Applied Materials

Applied Materials Price Performance

AMAT opened at $372.53 on Wednesday. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $295.64 billion, a PE ratio of 32.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 1.67. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $441.30 and its 200-day moving average price is $445.16. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52-week low of $203.40 and a 52-week high of $739.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced 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. The company 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 firm’s revenue was up 24.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.48 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on AMAT shares. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $675.00 to $700.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $675.00 to $695.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 1st. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating and issued a $710.00 price objective (up from $550.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. William Blair initiated coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. They set a “market perform” rating for the company. Finally, Needham & Company LLC dropped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $740.00 to $580.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 16th. Thirty research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $625.76.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $465.00, for a total value of $465,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 25,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,877,960. This trade represents a 3.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 25th. The stock was 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 directly owned 128,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $61,637,780.25. This represents a 5.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 9,225 shares of company stock worth $4,454,181. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Applied Materials

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.