Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Stock Sold by Sanders Capital LLC

Sanders Capital LLC lessened its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 15.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 5,162,011 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 932,361 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials accounts for 2.6% of Sanders Capital LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest position. Sanders Capital LLC owned approximately 0.65% of Applied Materials worth $2,639,749,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of AMAT. Alta Advisers Ltd lifted its position in Applied Materials by 76.7% during the third quarter. Alta Advisers Ltd now owns 5,718 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,924,000 after purchasing an additional 2,482 shares during the period. Principle Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Applied Materials by 38.6% in the third quarter. Principle Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,699 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,381,000 after purchasing an additional 752 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC grew its position in Applied Materials by 74.4% during the 3rd quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 165,156 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $84,457,000 after purchasing an additional 70,474 shares during the period. Claro Advisors Inc. grew its position in Applied Materials by 21.2% during the 3rd quarter. Claro Advisors Inc. now owns 4,036 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,064,000 after purchasing an additional 706 shares during the period. Finally, REAP Financial Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 18.6% during the 3rd quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 555 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $284,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 725 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $544.56, for a total transaction of $394,806.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 3,181 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,732,245.36. The trade was a 18.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $465.00, for a total transaction of $465,000.00. Following the transaction, the director 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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 9,225 shares of company stock worth $4,454,181. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Key Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: A rally in chip-equipment shares is lifting AMAT ahead of its fiscal fourth-quarter results, scheduled for November 12. The sector move followed Lam Research’s announcement of a $25 billion share buyback. Article: Applied Materials Stocks Rise as Chip Equipment Rallies Ahead of Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: AI-related equipment demand and growth in advanced packaging are cited as longer-term supports for Applied Materials, despite the recent pullback in chip stocks. Article: AMAT Shares Plunge 30% in a Month: Should You Buy, Sell or Hold?
• Neutral Sentiment: The upcoming results are a key near-term catalyst: investors will assess whether demand and equipment-spending expectations hold up in a more cautious investment environment. Article: Applied Materials Stocks Fall Before a Revenue Test
• Negative Sentiment: The rebound follows a sharp chip-stock sell-off, with investors worried that data-center spending could slow; weak Qualcomm guidance added to sector concerns. AMAT also recently faced pressure after an analyst downgrade. Article: Chip Stock Rout Deepens Article: Applied Materials Stock Falls After Analyst Downgrade

Applied Materials Price Performance

NASDAQ AMAT traded up $13.46 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $332.71. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 9,456,460 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,369,214. The firm has a market capitalization of $264.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.68, a P/E/G ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.67. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1-year low of $203.40 and a 1-year high of $739.67. 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’s 50-day moving average is $444.84 and its two-hundred day moving average is $444.66.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $9.12 billion for 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%. Applied Materials’s quarterly revenue was up 24.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.48 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on AMAT. Craig Hallum boosted their price objective on Applied Materials from $530.00 to $585.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. New Street Research dropped their target price on Applied Materials from $580.00 to $525.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 14th. Needham & Company LLC reduced their price target on Applied Materials from $740.00 to $580.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Applied Materials from $645.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $530.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Thirty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $632.01.

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.

Founded in 1967 and headquartered in Santa Clara, California, Applied Materials serves semiconductor and display manufacturers around the world.