Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Sold by Curat Global LLC

Curat Global LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 35.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,021 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 8,835 shares during the period. Applied Materials comprises 4.6% of Curat Global LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest holding. Curat Global LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $4,117,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AMAT. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in Applied Materials by 28.0% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,674 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,061,000 after acquiring an additional 2,771 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 26.7% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,225 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $590,000 after buying an additional 679 shares during the last quarter. Forefront Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the second quarter valued at approximately $410,000. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 30.1% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 15,003 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,747,000 after buying an additional 3,469 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 59.3% in the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 422,694 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $77,383,000 after buying an additional 157,426 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on AMAT shares. Stifel Nicolaus set a $530.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, May 15th. 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 research report on Friday, May 15th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $420.00 to $520.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Argus upped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $420.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $415.00 to $510.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Twenty-seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $465.14.

More Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials announced Broadcom as an EPIC innovation partner, deepening its role in advanced packaging R&D for AI chips and systems. Applied Materials Announces Broadcom as EPIC Innovation Partner
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary highlighted AMAT’s strong Q1 results, including revenue and earnings beats plus upbeat guidance, reinforcing the view that AI spending is lifting semiconductor equipment demand. AMAT Q1 Deep Dive: AI Demand Drives Growth in Semiconductor Equipment and Services
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials was named to a Zacks Rank #1 momentum list, suggesting analysts see continued near-term strength in the stock’s trend. Best Momentum Stocks to Buy for May 20th
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles compared AMAT favorably with peers like Lam Research, but these were mostly valuation and strategy discussions rather than new company-specific developments. Lam Research vs. Applied Materials: Which AI Chip Stock Has the Edge?
• Negative Sentiment: AMAT was mentioned among semiconductor names that fell during a broader sector sell-off tied to Samsung labor-strike concerns and TSMC-related supply-chain worries, which could create short-term pressure. MACOM, Applied Materials, and Photronics Shares Are Falling, What You Need To Know

Applied Materials Price Performance

AMAT opened at $427.36 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.80, a current ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52-week low of $153.47 and a 52-week high of $448.45. The company has a 50 day moving average of $385.47 and a two-hundred day moving average of $325.31. The company has a market cap of $339.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.13, a P/E/G ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.66.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.68 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.39 earnings per share. Applied Materials’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. This is a boost from Applied Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is currently 17.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other news, Director Judy Bruner sold 3,969 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $377.02, for a total value of $1,496,392.38. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 28,589 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,778,624.78. This represents a 12.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $379.16, for a total transaction of $202,471.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 4,625 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,753,615. This trade represents a 10.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 7,003 shares of company stock valued at $2,678,139 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

About Applied Materials

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.