Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 8.5% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 51,107 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 3,995 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $17,468,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Financial Freedom LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 48.7% in the fourth quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Joseph Group Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In related news, CEO Gary E. Dickerson sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $735.22, for a total transaction of $14,704,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,599,843 shares in the company, valued at $1,176,236,570.46. The trade was a 1.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $633.53, for a total value of $6,335,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 346,642 shares in the company, valued at $219,608,106.26. The trade was a 2.80% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 278,088 shares of company stock worth $169,654,805. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on AMAT shares. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Applied Materials from $550.00 to $710.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Applied Materials from $400.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. HC Wainwright set a $850.00 price objective on Applied Materials in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Seaport Research Partners began coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Monday, May 4th. They set a “buy” rating and a $500.00 target price on the stock. Finally, B. Riley Financial lifted their target price on Applied Materials from $550.00 to $790.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $589.48.

Applied Materials Trading Up 2.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT traded up $13.84 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $602.50. 6,270,022 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 12,077,411. The firm has a market capitalization of $478.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 56.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.57. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $517.90 and a 200-day moving average price of $402.29. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $154.46 and a 1 year high of $739.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 2.51 and a quick ratio of 1.80.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.39 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is presently 19.91%.

Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials rallied after CEO Gary Dickerson said chipmakers have “tremendous visibility” into demand, implying the AI investment cycle could support equipment orders for years rather than quarters. Applied Materials (AMAT) Stock Jumps after CEO Says AI Chip Demand Has Years to Run
• Positive Sentiment: Meta Platforms’ reported plan to begin manufacturing an in-house AI chip helped spark a broader rally in semiconductor equipment stocks, including Applied Materials, on expectations that AI infrastructure spending will remain strong. Applied Materials stock jumps as Meta AI chip plan lifts semiconductor names
• Positive Sentiment: Stifel and Needham both raised their price targets on AMAT and kept buy ratings, reinforcing the view that improving fundamentals and AI-driven demand could support further upside. Applied Materials PT Raised to $650 at Stifel
• Neutral Sentiment: Applied Materials was removed from several Russell value-oriented indices in late June, a classification change that reflects the stock’s shift toward being viewed more as an AI/semiconductor growth name than a value stock. How Investors Are Reacting To Applied Materials (AMAT) Being Dropped From Key Russell Value Indices
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data showed no reported short interest as of July 10, offering little evidence of bearish positioning from the latest filing.

Applied Materials Company 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.