Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Holdings Lessened by Argent Capital Management LLC

Key Points

• Argent Capital Management reduced its Applied Materials stake by 3.7% in the third quarter, selling 7,993 shares and retaining 205,787 shares valued at approximately $105.2 million. Institutional investors collectively own 80.56% of AMAT.
• Analysts maintain a broadly positive outlook, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $640.20. Applied Materials recently exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, reporting $3.50 EPS and $9.12 billion in revenue.
• AMAT shares fell 0.9% to $535.36, while company insiders also reduced their holdings through stock sales. Applied Materials declared a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share, equivalent to a 0.4% yield.

Argent Capital Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 3.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 205,787 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 7,993 shares during the period. Applied Materials makes up approximately 0.8% of Argent Capital Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest position. Argent Capital Management LLC's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $105,236,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AMAT. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Harborfront Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Financial Freedom LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Highland Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter valued at about $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $720.00 to $650.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Raymond James Financial set a $650.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. KeyCorp upped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $550.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Evercore increased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $515.00 to $700.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. Finally, Craig Hallum raised their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $530.00 to $585.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $640.20.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Applied Materials news, CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $479.25, for a total transaction of $3,594,375.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 128,613 shares of the company's stock, valued at $61,637,780.25. The trade was a 5.51% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $465.00, for a total value of $465,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 25,544 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,877,960. This represents a 3.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of Applied Materials stock traded down $4.68 on Monday, reaching $535.36. 1,742,658 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,918,446. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $485.47 and its 200-day moving average price is $476.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 2.42 and a quick ratio of 1.79. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1-year low of $203.40 and a 1-year high of $739.67. The company has a market cap of $424.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.60.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a net margin of 30.05% and a return on equity of 38.02%. The company had revenue of $9.12 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.99 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.48 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 24.8% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 19th 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, November 19th. Applied Materials's payout ratio is 18.28%.

Applied Materials Profile

Applied Materials, Inc is a global supplier of equipment, services and software used to manufacture semiconductor chips, flat-panel displays and other advanced electronic products. Its technologies help customers build and enhance materials at the nanoscale, supporting processes such as deposition, etching, inspection, metrology and packaging.

The company's offerings include semiconductor manufacturing systems, process-control and inspection equipment, and services designed to improve the performance, productivity and longevity of production equipment.

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