Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Bought by IFP Advisors Inc

Key Points

• IFP Advisors increased its Applied Materials position by 58.6% in the third quarter, adding 8,541 shares for a total holding of 23,119 shares valued at approximately $11.8 million. Institutional investors collectively own 80.56% of AMAT.
• Applied Materials reported quarterly revenue of $9.12 billion and EPS of $3.50, exceeding analyst estimates, while revenue grew 24.8% year over year. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share, representing a 0.5% yield.
• AMAT shares opened at $409.29, down 4.8%, amid broader concerns about semiconductor-equipment demand and the sustainability of AI spending. Analysts remain generally positive, with a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $632.70, although insiders sold 9,225 shares worth $4.45 million over the past 90 days.

IFP Advisors Inc increased its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 58.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 23,119 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after buying an additional 8,541 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $11,823,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of AMAT. BlackRock Inc. boosted its position in Applied Materials by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 80,212,518 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $57,993,650,000 after acquiring an additional 1,237,685 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 85.4% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 69,525,842 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $50,267,184,000 after acquiring an additional 32,018,892 shares in the last quarter. Amundi lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 19.0% during the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 7,808,207 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $5,645,344,000 after purchasing an additional 1,246,876 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 16.2% during the 2nd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 7,713,599 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $5,576,932,000 after purchasing an additional 1,073,879 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth $5,252,863,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $479.25, for a total value of $3,594,375.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 128,613 shares in the company, valued at $61,637,780.25. This represents a 5.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director owned 25,544 shares of the company's stock, 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 have 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.

Applied Materials Trading Down 4.8%

Shares of Applied Materials stock opened at $409.29 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.42, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $480.52 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $485.08. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12-month low of $203.40 and a 12-month high of $739.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $324.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.28, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 1.60.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last issued its 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 return on equity of 38.02% and a net margin of 30.05%. The company had revenue of $9.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.99 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.48 EPS. 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. Analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be issued a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio is 18.28%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have issued reports on AMAT shares. Erste Group Bank lowered Applied Materials from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $715.00 to $740.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $645.00 to $670.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $515.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Finally, B. Riley Financial reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $700.00 price objective (down from $790.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Thirty equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $632.70.

More Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials opened its $5 billion EPIC Center in Sunnyvale, California, described as the world’s largest semiconductor equipment and process-technology research facility. The investment should strengthen the company’s ability to develop equipment for advanced chips and capitalize on long-term AI and semiconductor capacity growth. Applied Materials opens $5B semiconductor innovation center
• Positive Sentiment: Needham lowered its Applied Materials price target from $740 to $580 but maintained a “buy” rating, indicating that the recent pullback has created what the firm considers meaningful upside. Other recent commentary also highlights AMAT’s broad equipment portfolio and strategic position in semiconductor manufacturing.
• Positive Sentiment: Investors are evaluating whether the current decline could offer an attractive entry point. Historical rebounds after sharp selloffs, continued semiconductor capacity expansion, and expectations for a sales recovery support the longer-term bullish case. Has Buying Applied Materials Stock's Dips Paid Off?
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary is mixed: some reports identify Applied Materials as a growth-at-a-reasonable-price opportunity, while others present a more cautious view of technology stocks. ETF activity has also been inconsistent, with 31 funds adding AMAT on October 13 but ETFs collectively selling shares on October 14.
• Negative Sentiment: Chip-equipment stocks are recording unusually long losing streaks as investors question whether AI-related spending can continue at its current pace. Those sector-wide concerns are currently outweighing the potential benefits of the new research center and are contributing to AMAT’s decline. Chip Equipment Stocks Notch Historic Losing Streaks

Applied Materials Profile

Applied Materials, Inc is a technology company that supplies equipment, services and software used to manufacture semiconductors and advanced displays. Its products help customers fabricate the integrated circuits and other components used in computers, mobile devices, data centers, automobiles and a range of connected technologies.

The company's offerings include systems for materials engineering, wafer fabrication, inspection and process control, along with equipment and services designed to improve manufacturing productivity and yield.

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