Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC Grows Stake in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 60.0% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 35,585 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 13,338 shares during the quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $25,728,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in AMAT. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Harborfront Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Financial Freedom LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials in the 1st quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Dogwood Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Applied Materials by 52.4% in the 4th quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 128 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $740.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, August 14th. HC Wainwright set a $850.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Monday, June 29th. William Blair assumed coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. They issued a “market perform” rating for the company. Argus set a $600.00 price objective on Applied Materials in a research report on Tuesday, August 18th. Finally, Wolfe Research upped their target price on Applied Materials from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $658.45.

Key Stories Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: AI infrastructure spending is supporting demand for Applied Materials’ semiconductor equipment, particularly in advanced packaging, DRAM and high-bandwidth memory (HBM). Accelerating global fab investment could sustain growth in wafer-fabrication equipment. AMAT Rides on AI-Led WFE Demand: Can it Sustain the Momentum?
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts have raised their Applied Materials earnings expectations, including an increase to the fiscal 2027 EPS estimate. UBS also reportedly sees meaningful potential appreciation, reinforcing the bullish outlook for the stock. FY2027 EPS Estimate for Applied Materials Boosted by Analyst
• Positive Sentiment: Management’s forecast was raised twice between February and August. Investors have re-rated AMAT based on improving forward expectations, even though trailing-twelve-month revenue growth was only 7.8%. Why Did Applied Materials Stock Nearly Triple on Single-Digit Trailing Revenue Growth?
• Neutral Sentiment: The semiconductor wafer-inspection market is expected to expand through 2035, driven by AI, electric vehicles, advanced nodes and advanced packaging. This supports Applied Materials’ long-term addressable market but does not necessarily provide an immediate earnings catalyst. Semiconductor Wafer Inspection Equipment Market Outlook 2025-2035
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation remains the main pressure point. After a roughly 237% five-year gain and a major year-to-date advance, investors may be demanding increasingly strong results to justify AMAT’s premium multiple. Can Applied Materials Still Look Cheap After a 237% Run?
• Negative Sentiment: The stock’s recent decline despite record revenue and above-consensus guidance suggests that expectations, profit-taking and concerns about the semiconductor cycle are outweighing the positive operating news. Applied Materials Just Dropped 14% in a Month. Sell Now, or Buy More?

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Prabu Raja sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $633.53, for a total transaction of $6,335,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 346,642 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $219,608,106.26. This trade represents a 2.80% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Timothy M. Deane sold 8,621 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $590.76, for a total value of $5,092,941.96. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 134,631 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $79,534,609.56. The trade was a 6.02% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 231,692 shares of company stock valued at $146,114,059. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Applied Materials Stock Down 0.6%

NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $435.91 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $536.69 and its 200-day moving average price is $460.63. The company has a market capitalization of $345.94 billion, a PE ratio of 37.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 1.60. 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, Inc. has a 1-year low of $155.40 and a 1-year high of $739.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a net margin of 30.05% and a return on equity of 38.02%. The company had revenue of $9.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.99 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.48 EPS. Applied Materials’s quarterly 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, equities analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.28%.

Applied Materials Profile

Applied Materials, Inc is a U.S.-based supplier of equipment, services and software used to manufacture semiconductor chips, flat panel displays and other advanced materials. Headquartered in Santa Clara, California, the company designs and sells capital equipment and related technologies that enable production of integrated circuits, display panels and materials used across the electronics supply chain.

Applied Materials’ offerings include process equipment and factory software that support critical steps in device fabrication, such as deposition, etch, implantation, inspection and metrology, as well as systems for packaging and advanced heterogeneous integration.