Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Sold by Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc.

Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc. cut its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 33.0% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 38,765 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 19,057 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials makes up 1.2% of Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $28,022,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First Dallas Securities Inc. boosted its stake in Applied Materials by 2.4% during the 2nd quarter. First Dallas Securities Inc. now owns 4,275 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $3,091,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Eurizon SLJ Capital Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 2,975.9% in the second quarter. Eurizon SLJ Capital Ltd now owns 27,775 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $20,081,000 after buying an additional 26,872 shares during the last quarter. Warburton Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the second quarter worth about $282,000. Van Strum & Towne Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the second quarter worth about $289,000. Finally, Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Applied Materials by 5.1% in the 2nd quarter. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,002 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,447,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AMAT has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Zacks Research raised Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. HC Wainwright set a $850.00 price target on Applied Materials in a report on Monday, June 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $520.00 to $600.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday. Seaport Research Partners restated a “buy” rating and set a $575.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday. Finally, Erste Group Bank cut shares of Applied Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $640.17.

Applied Materials News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Record quarterly performance: Fiscal Q3 revenue rose 24.8% year over year to $9.12 billion, ahead of the $8.99 billion consensus estimate, while adjusted EPS of $3.50 exceeded expectations. AI infrastructure demand, advanced packaging and memory spending supported growth. Applied Materials Q3 Earnings Beat Estimates, Revenues Rise Y/Y
• Positive Sentiment: Above-consensus outlook: Management projected fiscal Q4 revenue of approximately $9.8 billion to $10.8 billion and EPS of $3.82 to $4.22, both above analyst expectations. The company also pointed to stronger systems growth and unusually long customer visibility into fiscal 2027 and beyond. Applied Materials Forecasts Quarterly Revenue Above Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst and institutional support: JPMorgan, RBC, TD Cowen, B. Riley, Needham and other firms maintained positive ratings or raised price targets. Soros Capital also reportedly added AMAT among several semiconductor positions, reinforcing the longer-term AI and chip-cycle investment case. Soros Capital Loads Up on Semiconductor Stocks
• Neutral Sentiment: Options imply a possible rebound: Derivatives-market data indicates traders expect the pullback could be temporary, although elevated volatility reflects uncertainty over the stock’s near-term direction. Applied Materials Options Data
• Negative Sentiment: Expectations were exceptionally high: Despite the earnings beat and upbeat guidance, investors wanted faster growth and clearer evidence that AMAT is outpacing rivals in semiconductor manufacturing equipment. Concerns about competition, margins and the pace of systems growth overshadowed the headline results. Applied Materials Slips as Investors Seek Faster Growth
• Negative Sentiment: Broader market pressure added to selling: Weaker July retail-sales data, profit-taking after record highs and a semiconductor-sector selloff weighed on AMAT and other AI-related stocks.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Applied Materials stock opened at $507.18 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. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $564.15 and its 200 day simple moving average is $444.89. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $154.46 and a 52 week high of $739.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $402.68 billion, a PE ratio of 43.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.61.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $9.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.99 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 39.58% and a net margin of 30.05%.Applied Materials’s quarterly revenue was up 24.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.48 EPS. 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 12.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Thomas J. Iannotti sold 9,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $599.77, for a total value of $5,547,872.50. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 40,559 shares in the company, valued at $24,326,071.43. This trade represents a 18.57% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Omkaram Nalamasu sold 24,263 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $593.43, for a total transaction of $14,398,392.09. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 146,916 shares in the company, valued at approximately $87,184,361.88. This trade represents a 14.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 278,088 shares of company stock valued at $169,654,805. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.