Pictet Asset Management Holding SA decreased its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT – Free Report) by 13.9% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 1,794,206 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 289,818 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials comprises 0.9% of Pictet Asset Management Holding SA’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $917,518,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Harborfront Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Curry Webb Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the third quarter valued at $30,000. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA bought a new stake in Applied Materials in the third quarter worth $31,000. Orion Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials in the second quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Highland Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials in the second quarter worth $33,000. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials
In other news, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares of the 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 sale, the director owned 25,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,877,960. This represents a 3.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $479.25, for a total transaction of $3,594,375.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 128,613 shares in the company, valued at approximately $61,637,780.25. This represents a 5.51% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 9,225 shares of company stock worth $4,454,181 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.30% 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
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of research firms recently issued reports on AMAT. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $720.00 to $650.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $710.00 price objective (up from $550.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Tuesday, October 20th. New Street Research reduced their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $580.00 to $525.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Argus set a $600.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 18th. Thirty research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $632.01.
Check Out Our Latest Report on AMAT
Applied Materials Price Performance
Shares of Applied Materials stock opened at $332.71 on Friday. The stock has a market cap 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. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a current ratio of 2.42. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $444.84 and a 200-day moving average price of $444.66. Applied Materials, Inc. has a one year low of $203.40 and a one year high of $739.67.
Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT – Get Free Report) 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. 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 quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.48 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 EPS for the current year.
Applied Materials Dividend Announcement
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date 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 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.
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