Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Position Raised by Diversified Trust Co

Key Points

• Diversified Trust Co increased its Applied Materials stake by 20.3% in the first quarter, bringing its holdings to 36,592 shares valued at about $12.5 million.
• Insider selling has been notable, with executives including Prabu G. Raja and Timothy M. Deane selling shares; total insider sales over the last 90 days reached 189,767 shares worth about $107.8 million.
• Analysts remain bullish on AMAT after strong earnings and revenue beat expectations, with multiple firms raising price targets and consensus still at a “Moderate Buy.”

Diversified Trust Co grew its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 20.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 36,592 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after acquiring an additional 6,174 shares during the quarter. Diversified Trust Co's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $12,507,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of AMAT. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 48.7% in the fourth quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Joseph Group Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Dogwood Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 52.4% during the fourth quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 128 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In other news, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $505.28, for a total transaction of $25,264,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 356,642 shares in the company, valued at approximately $180,204,069.76. This represents a 12.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Timothy M. Deane sold 8,621 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $590.76, for a total value of $5,092,941.96. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 134,631 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $79,534,609.56. This represents a 6.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 189,767 shares of company stock valued at $107,769,409 in the last 90 days. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AMAT has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on Applied Materials from $500.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Applied Materials from $435.00 to $520.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on Applied Materials from $450.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. UBS Group increased their price target on Applied Materials from $515.00 to $570.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $525.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, May 15th. Twenty-seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $489.16.

Applied Materials Price Performance

NASDAQ AMAT opened at $617.11 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $154.46 and a 12 month high of $638.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $489.96 billion, a PE ratio of 57.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.67. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $451.05 and its 200 day simple moving average is $364.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 2.51 and a quick ratio of 1.80.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.39 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.91%.

Key Stories Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials’ AGS services business is being highlighted as a long-term growth engine, with AI-enabled services and expanding margins potentially creating more recurring revenue. Can AMAT's AGS Business Become a Long-Term Growth Driver?
• Positive Sentiment: Shares are benefiting from renewed enthusiasm around AI demand and strong earnings momentum, with articles noting the stock has been hitting new highs after solid results and upbeat guidance. AI Demand, Earnings Send Applied Materials to New Highs
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials launched SENZ with Qualcomm and EssilorLuxottica for AI eyewear, reinforcing investor hopes that the company can expand beyond core chipmaking tools into adjacent growth markets. Applied Materials (AMAT) Launches SENZ With Qualcomm And EssilorLuxottica For AI Eyewear
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains constructive, with higher price targets such as Citi’s $710 view helping fuel the rally by suggesting AI demand can justify the premium valuation. Applied Materials (AMAT) Stock Rallies 8.75% on Citi’s Bullish $710 Price Target
• Neutral Sentiment: Several insiders, including CEO Gary Dickerson and SVP Omkaram Nalamasu, sold shares this week; while the sales were small relative to their remaining holdings, they can weigh on sentiment. Why Applied Materials Insiders Sold $65 Million Worth of Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Some commentary warns the stock looks expensive after a sharp year-to-date surge, with valuation comparisons to the dot-com era potentially prompting caution despite the strong fundamental backdrop. Applied Materials stock valuation and performance

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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