AMJ Financial Wealth Management Buys 24,214 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• AMJ Financial Wealth Management boosted its stake in Applied Materials by 122.2% in the fourth quarter, buying 24,214 additional shares and bringing its total holdings to 44,027 shares worth about $11.3 million.
• Applied Materials continues to draw heavy institutional interest, with 80.56% of the stock owned by institutions and hedge funds, including major increases from Capital Research Global Investors and UBS AM.
• The company reported strong second-quarter results, beating EPS and revenue estimates and raising guidance, while analysts largely remain bullish with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $463.89.

AMJ Financial Wealth Management lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 122.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 44,027 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after purchasing an additional 24,214 shares during the period. Applied Materials makes up about 2.7% of AMJ Financial Wealth Management's holdings, making the stock its 6th biggest position. AMJ Financial Wealth Management's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $11,314,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of AMAT. Capital Research Global Investors raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 225.4% during the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 14,877,672 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $3,046,057,000 after purchasing an additional 10,305,182 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its position in Applied Materials by 617.2% during the third quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 9,129,483 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $1,869,170,000 after buying an additional 7,856,576 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its position in Applied Materials by 40.1% during the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 12,520,114 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $2,563,376,000 after buying an additional 3,583,751 shares during the period. Coatue Management LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the third quarter valued at $685,684,000. Finally, Sanders Capital LLC raised its position in Applied Materials by 42.6% during the third quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 10,978,990 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $2,247,838,000 after buying an additional 3,280,730 shares during the period. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials posted record Q2 results, beating EPS and revenue expectations and lifting its outlook, with management citing strong AI infrastructure spending as a key growth driver. Applied Materials Announces Second Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street turned more bullish after the report, with multiple firms raising price targets, including Bank of America, JPMorgan, Mizuho, Morgan Stanley, Needham, and KeyCorp, reinforcing confidence in multi-year earnings growth. Applied Materials Sees Multi-Year AI Boom Driving Record Revenue And Growth Through 2028
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts highlighted a durable AI-driven semiconductor upcycle, suggesting Applied Materials could sustain elevated demand and margins through 2027-2028. Krish Sankar Reaffirms Buy on Applied Materials
• Neutral Sentiment: The broader market backdrop is weaker, with major indexes down as Treasury yields and oil prices rise, which is adding headwinds for high-valuation tech and AI stocks. Stock Market Today: Dow Falls As Oil Prices, Yields Jump; Applied Materials, Nvidia, Cerebras Slide
• Negative Sentiment: Even with the strong earnings report, the stock is slipping as investors rotate out after a sharp year-to-date rally, showing some concern that expectations may already be very high. Applied Materials slips despite record quarter and strong outlook (AMAT)

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In related news, Director Judy Bruner sold 3,969 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 directly owned 28,589 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,778,624.78. This trade represents a 12.19% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 12,003 shares of company stock valued at $4,484,189. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Barclays upped their price target on Applied Materials from $450.00 to $500.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday. Seaport Research Partners assumed coverage on Applied Materials in a research report on Monday, May 4th. They set a "buy" rating and a $500.00 price target on the stock. Summit Insights raised Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, DZ Bank raised Applied Materials to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, February 16th. Twenty-seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $463.89.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of AMAT stock opened at $436.62 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $379.09 and a two-hundred day moving average of $319.44. The company has a current ratio of 2.71, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $153.47 and a 12 month high of $448.45. The company has a market capitalization of $346.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.66.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.18. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 38.48% and a net margin of 29.31%.The business had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.68 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.39 EPS. Applied Materials's quarterly revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 11.16 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be issued a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. This is a boost from Applied Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Applied Materials's payout ratio is currently 18.83%.

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.

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