Harfst & Associates Inc. Sells 1,033 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Harfst & Associates Inc. reduced its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 6.2% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 15,591 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 1,033 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials accounts for approximately 0.6% of Harfst & Associates Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Harfst & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $2,854,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Maseco LLP bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd raised its stake in Applied Materials by 435.0% in the 1st quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 214 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares during the period. Activest Wealth Management lifted its holdings in Applied Materials by 5,325.0% during the first quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 217 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 213 shares during the last quarter. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the second quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Disciplina Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 91.5% in the first quarter. Disciplina Capital Management LLC now owns 272 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Teri A. Little sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.24, for a total transaction of $952,960.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 84,351 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,095,782.24. This represents a 4.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Trading Up 3.1%

AMAT stock opened at $249.97 on Thursday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a one year low of $123.74 and a one year high of $252.66. The company has a market capitalization of $199.14 billion, a PE ratio of 29.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 1.84. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $222.42 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $191.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a current ratio of 2.50.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.11 by $0.06. Applied Materials had a net margin of 23.88% and a return on equity of 40.96%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.32 earnings per share. Applied Materials’s revenue was down 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.980-2.380 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 20th will be paid a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 20th. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is 21.20%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on AMAT. DZ Bank raised shares of Applied Materials from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 14th. Bank of America raised shares of Applied Materials from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $180.00 to $250.00 in a report on Monday, October 13th. Wolfe Research reduced their target price on Applied Materials from $230.00 to $200.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 15th. B. Riley restated a “buy” rating and issued a $270.00 price objective (up from $265.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Applied Materials to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 17th. Twenty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $228.04.

Applied Materials Profile

Applied Materials, Inc engages in the provision of manufacturing equipment, services, and software to the semiconductor, display, and related industries. The company operates through three segments: Semiconductor Systems, Applied Global Services, and Display and Adjacent Markets. The Semiconductor Systems segment develops, manufactures, and sells various manufacturing equipment that is used to fabricate semiconductor chips or integrated circuits.