Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Shares Unloaded Sen. John Boozman

Key Points

• Sen. John Boozman sold $1,001–$15,000 of Applied Materials (AMAT) stock on Feb. 27 (filed Mar. 6) and executed several other small trades in late February across tech and consumer names.
• Applied Materials beat expectations—quarterly EPS $2.38 vs. $2.21 est. and revenue $7.01B vs. $6.88B—and issued Q2 2026 EPS guidance of $2.44–$2.84 while announcing a $0.46 quarterly dividend.
• Analysts and ownership show confidence but insiders have sold: multiple firms raised price targets and the stock has an average "Moderate Buy" rating with ~80.6% institutional ownership, yet insiders (including a director and the CFO) sold shares totaling roughly $4.48M in the last 90 days.

Senator John Boozman (Republican-Arkansas) recently sold shares of Applied Materials, Inc. NASDAQ: AMAT. In a filing disclosed on March 06th, the Senator disclosed that they had sold between $1,001 and $15,000 in Applied Materials stock on February 27th.

Senator John Boozman also recently made the following trade(s):

• Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of NetApp NASDAQ: NTAP on 2/27/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Kroger NYSE: KR on 2/26/2026.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Procter & Gamble NYSE: PG on 2/26/2026.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Union Pacific NYSE: UNP on 2/19/2026.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Adobe NASDAQ: ADBE on 2/13/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Microsoft NASDAQ: MSFT on 2/13/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF NASDAQ: IEF on 2/6/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF NASDAQ: EMB on 2/6/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Uber Technologies NYSE: UBER on 2/6/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of iShares CMBS ETF NYSEARCA: CMBS on 2/6/2026.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of AMAT opened at $324.74 on Friday. The firm's 50 day moving average is $326.31 and its 200-day moving average is $255.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $257.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.24, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 2.71 and a quick ratio of 1.94. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12-month low of $123.74 and a 12-month high of $395.95.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.88 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.78% and a return on equity of 37.52%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.38 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be given a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.83%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on AMAT shares. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Applied Materials from $340.00 to $450.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Zacks Research raised Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Applied Materials from $420.00 to $432.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. KGI Securities raised Applied Materials to an "outperform" rating and set a $425.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, KeyCorp increased their price target on Applied Materials from $380.00 to $450.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $363.46.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of AMAT. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Applied Materials by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 76,779,340 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $19,731,523,000 after buying an additional 330,197 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 38,920,984 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $7,125,265,000 after acquiring an additional 391,540 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors increased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 119.8% during the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 32,707,049 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $8,405,458,000 after acquiring an additional 17,829,377 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Applied Materials by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 21,026,363 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $3,836,807,000 after purchasing an additional 407,282 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its position in Applied Materials by 72.5% during the second quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 13,564,120 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $2,483,183,000 after purchasing an additional 5,700,349 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market pieces highlight a renewed semiconductor opportunity in 2026, which benefits AMAT as a leading chip-equipment supplier; this underpins investor confidence in the company's medium‑to‑long‑term demand. Semiconductor Opportunity Is Here
• Positive Sentiment: A recent feature argues AMAT is balancing near-term sector turbulence while maintaining a long‑term chip demand story — reinforcing buy‑and‑hold narratives for chip-capex exposure. Applied Materials Balances Sector Turbulence With Long Term Chip Demand Story
• Positive Sentiment: Technical commentary notes AMAT broke above its 20‑day moving average, signaling short‑term bullish momentum that can attract momentum traders. Applied Materials (AMAT) Recently Broke Out Above the 20-Day Moving Average
• Positive Sentiment: Context pieces point out AMAT has gained strongly over recent months (≈+33% over three months), showing momentum that can support share prices when markets stabilize. AMAT Climbs 33.4% in 3 Months: Time to Buy, Sell or Hold the Stock?
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group initiated coverage with a "hold" rating — neither bullish nor bearish but may limit upside from fresh upbeat upgrades. Tickerreport: Erste Group Starts Coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent short‑interest data reported as zeros/NaN appear erroneous; no clear signal from short sellers right now (data should be treated cautiously).
• Negative Sentiment: Broader market pressure: Nasdaq weakness and falling futures are dragging high‑beta tech and semicap names lower, pressuring AMAT despite company strengths. Live Nasdaq Composite: Markets Buckle Under Pressure With No Relief in Sight
• Negative Sentiment: Geopolitical risk and rising oil amid Middle East conflict are lifting energy prices and weighing on risk assets ahead of a key jobs report — a near‑term headwind for AMAT. Stock Futures Fall, Oil Jumps as Middle East War Continues; Key Jobs Report on Deck

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Judy Bruner sold 3,969 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $377.02, for a total transaction of $1,496,392.38. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 28,589 shares in the company, valued at $10,778,624.78. This represents a 12.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $361.21, for a total value of $1,806,050.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 138,565 shares of the company's stock, valued at $50,051,063.65. This represents a 3.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 12,003 shares of company stock valued at $4,484,189 over the last 90 days. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Senator Boozman

John Boozman (Republican Party) is a member of the U.S. Senate from Arkansas. He assumed office on January 3, 2011. His current term ends on January 3, 2029. Boozman (Republican Party) ran for re-election to the U.S. Senate to represent Arkansas. He won in the general election on November 8, 2022. Boozman won re-election in 2016. He faced Democrat Conner Eldridge, Libertarian Frank Gilbert, and write-in candidate Jason Tate in the general election. Arkansas' U.S. Senate race was rated as safely Republican in 2016. Boozman began his political career in the U.S. House. He won a special election in 2001 and served in that position until his election to the Senate in 2010. Prior to his political career, Boozman worked as an optometrist. As of a 2014 analysis of multiple outside rankings, Boozman is an average Republican member of Congress, meaning he will vote with the Republican Party on the majority of bills. Below is an abbreviated outline of Boozman's academic, professional, and political career: 2011-Present: U.S. Senator from Arkansas 2001-2011: U.S. Representative from Arkansas 1977: Graduated from Southern College of Optometry

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.

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