Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Stock Sold by BDF Gestion

BDF Gestion trimmed its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 11.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 16,949 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 2,150 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials makes up 1.2% of BDF Gestion’s holdings, making the stock its 15th biggest holding. BDF Gestion’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $8,667,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Harborfront Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Financial Freedom LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials during the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Highland Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at $33,000. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Applied Materials Stock Up 2.5%

Shares of Applied Materials stock traded up $10.37 during trading on Monday, reaching $419.66. 2,648,672 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,865,418. The firm has a market capitalization of $333.04 billion, a PE ratio of 36.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 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. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $480.52 and a 200-day moving average price of $486.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 2.42 and a quick ratio of 1.79.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 EPS 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 business had revenue of $9.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.99 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.48 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 24.8% on a year-over-year basis. 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 fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $11,877,960. This trade represents a 3.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $479.25, for a total value of $3,594,375.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 128,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $61,637,780.25. The trade was a 5.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 9,225 shares of company stock worth $4,454,181 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on AMAT shares. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $710.00 price objective (up from $550.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Tuesday, October 13th. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on Applied Materials from $550.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, June 29th. Bank of America dropped their price objective on Applied Materials from $720.00 to $650.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Applied Materials from $642.00 to $563.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 28th. Thirty equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials presently has a consensus 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.