2,655 Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Acquired by Ethic Inc.

Ethic Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 117,055 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,655 shares during the period. Applied Materials accounts for approximately 0.7% of Ethic Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest position. Ethic Inc.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $59,860,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Harborfront Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the second quarter worth about $33,000. Highland Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the second quarter worth about $33,000. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the second quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Curry Webb Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the third quarter worth about $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Applied Materials

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 725 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $544.56, for a total transaction of $394,806.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 3,181 shares in the company, valued at $1,732,245.36. This trade represents a 18.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 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 Applied Materials stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the director directly owned 25,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,877,960. The trade was a 3.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 9,225 shares of company stock valued at $4,454,181 over the last quarter. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on AMAT. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $563.00 to $538.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 3rd. New Street Research cut their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $580.00 to $525.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 14th. Argus set a $600.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 18th. Craig Hallum lifted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $530.00 to $585.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price objective on Applied Materials from $720.00 to $650.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 14th. 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 a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $632.01.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Applied Materials stock opened at $332.71 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $444.84 and its 200-day simple moving average is $444.66. The company has a market capitalization of $264.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.65 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 quick ratio of 1.79 and a current ratio of 2.42.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $9.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.99 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 30.05% and a return on equity of 38.02%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.48 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

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

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.