2,590 Shares in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Acquired by Financial Solutions Advisory Group Inc.

Key Points

• Financial Solutions Advisory Group acquired 2,590 shares of Applied Materials worth approximately $885,000, while institutional investors collectively own 80.56% of the company.
• Applied Materials exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $2.86 in EPS and $7.91 billion in revenue, with revenue up 11.4% year over year. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $599.19.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share, representing a 0.4% annualized yield, while insiders sold roughly $169.7 million of stock over the past three months.

Financial Solutions Advisory Group Inc. bought a new position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund bought 2,590 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock, valued at approximately $885,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Financial Freedom LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. Joseph Group Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Dogwood Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 52.4% in the fourth quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 128 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Applied Materials Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of NASDAQ AMAT opened at $507.67 on Friday. 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. The business's 50 day moving average is $550.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $429.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $403.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.67, a PEG ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.57.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last posted 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 business had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.39 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.14 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials's payout ratio is presently 19.91%.

Key Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Semiconductor stocks rallied this week on strong technology earnings, while three semiconductor ETFs ranked among the largest recipients of new investor cash. The sector-wide buying provides a favorable backdrop for Applied Materials. Semiconductor ETFs Draw Cash This Week as Chip Stocks Rally
• Positive Sentiment: A bullish analysis maintains a “Strong Buy” view after AMAT’s substantial multiyear advance, citing the company’s exposure to AI-driven semiconductor equipment demand and continued operating momentum. Applied Materials: Why I'm Maintaining A Strong Buy After A 45% Run
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlighted Applied Materials’ AI-driven momentum, record results, expanding margins and improving customer visibility. These factors reinforce expectations for durable growth. AMAT recently exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, with revenue increasing year over year and upbeat quarterly earnings guidance. The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights Applied Materials
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage of Lam Research’s surge indicates that AI equipment demand was already visible in industry results. This supports the semiconductor-equipment cycle generally, although it does not provide a company-specific update for AMAT. Lam Research Stock's Surge Was Building In Plain Sight
• Negative Sentiment: Despite long-term support from initiatives such as the AI Materials Foundry, one valuation analysis argues that AMAT may not be a bargain after a 218.9% five-year gain. The elevated valuation and high expectations could limit additional upside or increase sensitivity to any slowdown in AI-related spending. Applied Materials Stock May Not Be A Bargain Despite AI Materials Foundry News

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In related news, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 50,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $505.28, for a total transaction of $25,264,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 356,642 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $180,204,069.76. The trade was a 12.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Thomas J. Iannotti sold 9,250 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $599.77, for a total transaction of $5,547,872.50. Following the transaction, the director owned 40,559 shares in the company, valued at $24,326,071.43. The trade was a 18.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 278,088 shares of company stock valued at $169,654,805 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AMAT has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $390.00 to $520.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Applied Materials from $530.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Wall Street Zen lowered Applied Materials from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday. Argus raised their price target on Applied Materials from $420.00 to $500.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on Applied Materials from $550.00 to $710.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $599.19.

About Applied Materials

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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