1,575 Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Sold by Nisa Investment Advisors LLC

Nisa Investment Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 0.7% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 223,421 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 1,575 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials accounts for approximately 0.3% of Nisa Investment Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $114,253,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of AMAT. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 85.4% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 69,525,842 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $50,267,184,000 after acquiring an additional 32,018,892 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter valued at $5,252,863,000. Jupiter Topco LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter valued at $1,512,287,000. Amundi raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 19.0% during the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 7,808,207 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $5,645,344,000 after purchasing an additional 1,246,876 shares during the period. Finally, BlackRock Inc. lifted its holdings in Applied Materials by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 80,212,518 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $57,993,650,000 after purchasing an additional 1,237,685 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Industry research projects the global e-beam wafer-inspection systems market will expand from $1.3 billion in 2024 to $3.6 billion by 2030. Increasingly complex semiconductor nodes, higher yield requirements and AI-driven data processing could support long-term demand for Applied Materials’ inspection-related equipment. E-Beam Wafer Inspection Systems Market Forecasts Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials was recognized as a 2027 Conference Board Innovation Awards honoree, highlighting its technology development efforts, although the award is unlikely to materially affect near-term earnings. The Conference Board Announces Innovation Awards Honorees
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary remains broadly constructive: some firms continue raising earnings estimates and maintain price targets substantially above the current level. However, other analysis questions whether the company’s AI growth opportunity is already priced in after its strong one-year performance. Applied Materials Cratered 20% Since July
• Negative Sentiment: Applied Materials experienced approximately $58.8 million in net ETF selling on October 15, adding technical pressure and potentially contributing to the latest weakness. Applied Materials Sees Net ETF Selling
• Negative Sentiment: The decline occurred despite broader market gains, indicating investors may be locking in gains and reassessing AMAT’s elevated valuation following its strong advance. Recent results were solid—revenue rose 24.8% year over year and EPS exceeded consensus—but those positives may already be reflected in the share price. Applied Materials Stock Sinks as Market Gains

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on AMAT shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 26th. B. Riley Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $700.00 price target (down from $790.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Erste Group Bank cut Applied Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. KeyCorp increased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $550.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. Finally, Susquehanna raised their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $575.00 to $900.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Thirty investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $632.70.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 725 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $544.56, for a total value of $394,806.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 3,181 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,732,245.36. This trade represents a 18.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through 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 that occurred on Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $465.00, for a total transaction of $465,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 25,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 9,225 shares of company stock worth $4,454,181. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Applied Materials stock opened at $404.98 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $321.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.91, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.60. The company has a quick ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 2.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $475.93 and a 200 day simple moving average of $487.09. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $203.40 and a 52 week high of $739.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 38.02% and a net margin of 30.05%. The firm had revenue of $9.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.99 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.48 EPS. The company’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, research analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is presently 18.28%.

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.