Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Co. Takes Position in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Co. bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 3,425 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,476,000.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 2.1% during the second quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC now owns 1,003 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $725,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the period. Basecamp Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Basecamp Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,288 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $1,124,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Private Wealth Management Group LLC increased its position in shares of Applied Materials by 4.9% during the 1st quarter. Private Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 531 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $181,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. One Day In July LLC increased its position in shares of Applied Materials by 2.4% during the 1st quarter. One Day In July LLC now owns 1,089 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $372,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. lifted its holdings in Applied Materials by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 2,082 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $712,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Trading Up 5.5%

Shares of NASDAQ AMAT opened at $546.62 on Wednesday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1-year low of $154.46 and a 1-year high of $739.67. The company has a market cap of $433.99 billion, a PE ratio of 51.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.61. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The company has a 50-day moving average of $554.42 and a two-hundred day moving average of $434.07.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. Applied Materials’s revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.39 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.91%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AMAT has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wolfe Research upped their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $540.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Applied Materials from $510.00 to $770.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. Bank of America increased their price target on Applied Materials from $540.00 to $720.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Applied Materials from $502.00 to $647.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $603.23.

Applied Materials News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Semiconductor ETFs surged as much as 19% in a broad AI-driven rally, improving sentiment toward chip-equipment suppliers such as Applied Materials. Renewed expectations for AI infrastructure spending may support demand for the company’s wafer-fabrication equipment. Semiconductor ETFs Surge up to 19% in Huge Rally as the AI Trade Ramps Back Up
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts see a favorable setup for Applied Materials to beat its next quarterly earnings estimates, citing the company’s strong history of earnings surprises and currently positive forecast indicators. The company’s latest quarter also exceeded expectations, with $2.86 in EPS and $7.91 billion in revenue. Will Applied Materials Beat Estimates Again in Its Next Earnings Report?
• Neutral Sentiment: Applied Materials recently outperformed the broader market, reflecting stronger investor interest in the semiconductor-equipment group. However, the article primarily describes recent trading performance rather than identifying a new fundamental catalyst. Applied Materials Outperforms Broader Market: What You Need to Know
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts remain cautious ahead of earnings despite Applied Materials’ strong fundamentals, with at least one downgrade pointing to elevated expectations and potential downside if results or guidance disappoint. The stock’s high earnings multiple increases its sensitivity to any slowdown in AI or semiconductor spending. Applied Materials: Strong Fundamentals, But I’m Downgrading Ahead of Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Semiconductor stocks recently faced pressure over fears that Chinese competitors could intensify competition, potentially affecting pricing, market share and long-term growth prospects for U.S. equipment makers. Semiconductor Stocks Sink Over Fears of Increased Competition From China

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In other news, CEO Gary E. Dickerson sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $735.22, for a total transaction of $14,704,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,599,843 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,176,236,570.46. This represents a 1.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 10,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $633.53, for a total value of $6,335,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 346,642 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $219,608,106.26. The trade was a 2.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 278,088 shares of company stock valued at $169,654,805 over the last quarter. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.