Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC Boosts Stock Position in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC increased its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. by 29.1% in the first quarter, owning 7,702 shares valued at $1,118,000.
• Several institutional investors have also added to their stakes in Applied Materials, with over 80.56% of the company's stock now owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
• Applied Materials announced a quarterly dividend of $0.46 per share, representing an annual yield of 1.2% and a payout ratio of 21.93%.

Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC increased its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 29.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,702 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after purchasing an additional 1,734 shares during the period. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $1,118,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Applied Materials by 972.2% in the first quarter. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 193 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Materials in the first quarter worth approximately $29,000. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd boosted its stake in Applied Materials by 435.0% in the first quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 214 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Activest Wealth Management boosted its stake in Applied Materials by 5,325.0% in the first quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 217 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 213 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth approximately $44,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 562 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.60, for a total value of $100,373.20. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 5,300 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $946,580. This trade represents a 9.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.24% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Stock Up 2.9%

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT traded up $4.51 on Friday, hitting $162.75. 7,034,707 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,143,077. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $123.74 and a 52 week high of $215.70. The company has a quick ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 2.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $180.02 and a 200-day simple moving average of $164.86. The company has a market cap of $129.65 billion, a PE ratio of 19.40, a PEG ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.77.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.48 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.36 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $7.30 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.21 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 40.96% and a net margin of 23.88%.The company's revenue was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.12 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 1.910-2.310 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 21st will be given a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 21st. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.93%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Cfra Research raised Applied Materials to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, August 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Applied Materials in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. They set a "buy" rating and a $225.00 price objective for the company. Bank of America reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $180.00 price objective (down previously from $190.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, August 15th. Redburn Atlantic lowered Applied Materials from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $225.00 to $200.00 in a research note on Monday, July 7th. Finally, DZ Bank lowered Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $150.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Friday, August 15th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $193.88.

Applied Materials Profile

Applied Materials, Inc engages in the provision of manufacturing equipment, services, and software to the semiconductor, display, and related industries. The company operates through three segments: Semiconductor Systems, Applied Global Services, and Display and Adjacent Markets. The Semiconductor Systems segment develops, manufactures, and sells various manufacturing equipment that is used to fabricate semiconductor chips or integrated circuits.