Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Holdings Lessened by Bill Few Associates Inc.

Key Points

• Bill Few Associates reduced its Applied Materials stake by 21.2% in the third quarter, selling 4,029 shares and retaining 15,004 shares valued at $7.67 million. Institutional investors collectively own 80.56% of the company.
• Applied Materials reported quarterly EPS of $3.50 and revenue of $9.12 billion, exceeding analyst estimates, while revenue grew 24.8% year over year. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and a $640.20 price target, although insiders recently sold 9,225 shares and the stock declined 0.5% to $507.03.

Bill Few Associates Inc. reduced its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 21.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 15,004 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 4,029 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials accounts for 1.5% of Bill Few Associates Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest position. Bill Few Associates Inc.'s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $7,673,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Harborfront Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the second quarter worth $27,000. Orion Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at $33,000. Highland Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth about $33,000. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Stock Down 0.5%

Applied Materials stock traded down $2.54 during trading on Friday, reaching $507.03. The stock had a trading volume of 3,338,899 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,867,691. The company has a quick ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 2.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52-week low of $203.40 and a 52-week high of $739.67. The stock has a market cap of $402.38 billion, a PE ratio of 43.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.60. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $488.90 and a 200 day moving average price of $481.64.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $9.12 billion for 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 period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.48 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.28%.

Applied Materials News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials announced that UCLA’s Samueli School of Engineering will join its EPIC Center to accelerate semiconductor research, process development and commercialization. The collaboration could strengthen the company’s technology pipeline and relationships with chip manufacturers. Applied Materials and UCLA Engineering Accelerate Semiconductor Innovation at the EPIC Center
• Positive Sentiment: Strong planned capital spending by TSMC—potentially reaching $64 billion—supports the outlook for semiconductor manufacturing-equipment suppliers. An Applied Materials veteran suggested TSMC may still need to invest more to meet demand, which could create additional opportunities for AMAT. TSMC Plans Up to $64 Billion in Capex
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary points to improving momentum in Applied Materials’ Applied Global Services business, supported by AI-enabled services, recurring revenue and sustained fabrication-facility demand through 2030. Recent comparisons also indicate AMAT’s revenue growth trajectory has strengthened relative to Qualcomm and Marvell Technology.
• Positive Sentiment: Recent quarterly results provide fundamental support: earnings and revenue exceeded consensus estimates, while revenue increased 24.8% year over year. Management’s fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings guidance also implies continued growth.
• Neutral Sentiment: Brokerage recommendations remain favorable, but the reports caution that average analyst ratings can be overly optimistic and should not be treated as a standalone buy signal. Brokers Suggest Investing in Applied Materials
• Neutral Sentiment: A short-interest update reported zero shares sold short and a zero-day days-to-cover ratio, although the wording describing a “significant increase” appears inconsistent with the reported figures. The data therefore offers little reliable directional information.
• Negative Sentiment: Applied Materials underperformed the broader market in the latest session, falling about 2.1%. Reports also linked the weakness to insider selling, which can raise concerns about near-term sentiment even when it does not change the company’s fundamentals. Applied Materials Stock Falls After Insider Selling
• Negative Sentiment: A member of Congress sold AMAT less than two months after purchasing it and missed a subsequent rally. While the transaction is not a fundamental development, the attention surrounding the sale may add to investor scrutiny. Congressman Sells Applied Materials Stock Before Recent Rally

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on AMAT. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "buy" rating and set a $740.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $530.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Argus set a $600.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 18th. Evercore boosted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $515.00 to $700.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Finally, New Street Research cut their price objective on Applied Materials from $580.00 to $525.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $640.20.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $479.25, for a total value of $3,594,375.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 128,613 shares of the company's stock, valued at $61,637,780.25. This represents a 5.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $465.00, for a total transaction of $465,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 25,544 shares in the company, valued at $11,877,960. This represents a 3.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 9,225 shares of company stock valued at $4,454,181 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

About Applied Materials

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AMAT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report).

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.