5,539 Shares in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Bought by Ausdal Financial Partners Inc.

Key Points

• Ausdal Financial Partners bought 5,539 Applied Materials shares during the second quarter, valued at approximately $4.0 million. Institutional investors now own 80.56% of the company.
• Applied Materials exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $3.50 in earnings per share and $9.12 billion in revenue, up 24.8% year over year. Analysts maintain a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating with an average price target of $657.76.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share, equivalent to an annualized $2.12 dividend and a 0.4% yield. Recent insider selling and China-related competitive and export-control risks remain potential concerns.

Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 5,539 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock, valued at approximately $4,005,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Caldwell Investment Management Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,589,000. Evolve Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in Applied Materials by 59.0% in the first quarter. Evolve Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,875 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $983,000 after acquiring an additional 1,067 shares during the last quarter. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth about $1,082,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in Applied Materials by 183.7% in the fourth quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,073 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $790,000 after acquiring an additional 1,990 shares during the period. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 29.6% during the second quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 462,685 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $334,521,000 after purchasing an additional 105,776 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of AMAT opened at $482.36 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $382.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 1.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a current ratio of 2.42. Applied Materials, Inc. has a one year low of $154.46 and a one year high of $739.67. The stock's fifty day moving average is $553.91 and its 200-day moving average is $456.73.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $9.12 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.99 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 30.05% and a return on equity of 38.02%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 24.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.48 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.73 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis 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 currently 18.28%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on AMAT. Raymond James Financial set a $650.00 price target on Applied Materials in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. Argus set a $600.00 target price on Applied Materials in a research note on Tuesday, August 18th. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Zacks Research raised shares of Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Applied Materials from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $657.76.

Applied Materials News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Qualcomm executive joins the board: Applied Materials appointed Qualcomm CFO and COO Akash Palkhiwala as a director and Audit Committee member. His semiconductor-industry, finance and operating experience could strengthen the board as AMAT targets growth in advanced logic, memory and AI infrastructure. Applied Materials Appoints Akash Palkhiwala to Board of Directors
• Positive Sentiment: AI buildout supports earnings momentum: Recent coverage highlights AMAT’s record quarter-over-quarter revenue increase, with quarterly revenue of $9.12 billion, up 25% year over year, and non-GAAP earnings per share of $3.50, up 41%. Demand is being driven by advanced DRAM, high-bandwidth memory, leading-edge logic and advanced packaging. The AI Buildout Is Turning Applied Materials Into A Profit Machine
• Positive Sentiment: Services business remains healthy: AMAT’s Applied Global Services segment reported record revenue and expanding margins, supported by subscription services, parts demand and increased semiconductor-fab utilization. This recurring revenue stream may help cushion equipment-cycle volatility. AMAT's AGS Business Gains Momentum
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst upside remains substantial: The average Wall Street price target implies roughly 35% potential upside, although targets are estimates and AMAT’s elevated valuation makes further gains dependent on continued earnings growth. Does Applied Materials Have the Potential to Rally?
• Negative Sentiment: China exposure is a key overhang: New Chinese immersion DUV lithography capabilities and tighter export controls raise concerns about domestic competition and reduced access to China, a significant AMAT market. Applied Materials' China Problem Is Getting Worse
• Negative Sentiment: CFO stock sale adds a minor sentiment concern: CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 shares worth approximately $3.6 million, reducing his holdings by 5.51%. The transaction does not change AMAT’s fundamentals but may weigh modestly on investor sentiment. SEC Insider Transaction Filing

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Timothy M. Deane sold 8,621 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 134,631 shares in the company, valued at $79,534,609.56. This trade represents a 6.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Omkaram Nalamasu sold 24,263 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $593.43, for a total transaction of $14,398,392.09. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 146,916 shares in the company, valued at $87,184,361.88. This represents a 14.17% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 284,192 shares of company stock valued at $172,625,209. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

Continue following MarketBeat

Add MarketBeat as your preferred source on Google to see our latest stories in your feed.

Add As Preferred Source