LaFleur & Godfrey LLC Sells 1,358 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

LaFleur & Godfrey LLC lessened its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 10.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,596 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 1,358 shares during the period. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $5,930,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. North Dakota State Investment Board increased its stake in Applied Materials by 3.9% in the third quarter. North Dakota State Investment Board now owns 24,281 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $12,417,000 after purchasing an additional 906 shares in the last quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 8.6% during the 3rd quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 696 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $356,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. BLB&B Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. BLB&B Advisors LLC now owns 1,881 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $962,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the period. Conning Inc. grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 14.2% in the 3rd quarter. Conning Inc. now owns 15,060 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $7,701,000 after buying an additional 1,877 shares during the period. Finally, Victory Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 56.6% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Financial Group LLC now owns 2,050 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,048,000 after buying an additional 741 shares during the period. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Applied Materials Stock Up 5.1%

Shares of NASDAQ AMAT opened at $416.00 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 2.42 and a quick ratio of 1.79. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $461.27 and a 200-day moving average price of $442.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $330.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.60. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $203.40 and a 1 year high of $739.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a net margin of 30.05% and a return on equity of 38.02%. The company had revenue of $9.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.99 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $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. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 EPS for the current fiscal 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 dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is currently 18.28%.

Trending Headlines about Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Memory shortage supports equipment demand. SK Hynix’s forecast that a memory shortage could persist through 2030 suggests years of additional fab construction and equipment purchases. Applied Materials rose alongside Lam Research and KLA as investors anticipated increased orders from memory manufacturers. Chip Equipment Stocks Rally as SK Hynix Signals Memory Shortage Into 2030
• Positive Sentiment: Expanded BE Semiconductor stake strengthens the AI-packaging strategy. Applied Materials plans to increase its ownership of Dutch equipment maker BE Semiconductor Industries to approximately 20% from 9%, deepening cooperation in hybrid bonding and advanced interconnect technologies used in AI and high-performance-computing chips. Shares in BE Semiconductor jump after Applied Materials raises stake to 20%
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and industry forecasts remain constructive. Bernstein issued a Buy rating, while analysts expect strong double-digit earnings growth ahead of the company’s fourth-quarter report. A new industry report also projects substantial expansion in epitaxial wafer and chip technology, where Applied Materials is a major participant. Applied Materials receives a Buy from Bernstein
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate-governance attention is unlikely to materially affect near-term fundamentals. Applied Materials joined other large companies objecting to tokenized versions of their shares offered through OKX and Intercontinental Exchange under an SEC innovation framework.
• Negative Sentiment: Risks remain from China exposure, supply bottlenecks and valuation. Analysts caution that export restrictions and dependence on constrained semiconductor supply chains could limit the rally. AMAT’s recent decline and valuation near 36 times earnings also leave the stock sensitive to any slowdown in AI or memory spending.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $479.25, for a total value of $3,594,375.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 128,613 shares in the company, valued at $61,637,780.25. This trade represents a 5.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $465.00, for a total value of $465,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 25,544 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,877,960. The trade was a 3.77% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 9,225 shares of company stock valued at $4,454,181. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on AMAT shares. HSBC decreased their target price on Applied Materials from $683.00 to $641.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Applied Materials from $530.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Needham & Company LLC reduced their price objective on Applied Materials from $740.00 to $580.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 16th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Applied Materials from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. Finally, Citigroup restated a “buy” rating and set a $710.00 price objective (up from $550.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Thirty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $632.70.

Applied Materials Company Profile

Applied Materials, Inc is a technology company that supplies equipment, services and software used to manufacture semiconductors and advanced displays. Its products help customers fabricate the integrated circuits and other components used in computers, mobile devices, data centers, automobiles and a range of connected technologies.

The company’s offerings include systems for materials engineering, wafer fabrication, inspection and process control, along with equipment and services designed to improve manufacturing productivity and yield.