Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Purchased by Avaii Wealth Management LLC

Key Points

• Avaii Wealth Management increased its Applied Materials stake by 2,500.5% in the third quarter, purchasing 26,755 additional shares for a total holding of 27,825 shares valued at approximately $14.2 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 80.56% of AMAT.
• Analysts maintain a favorable outlook, with the stock receiving a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $640.20, though individual targets range widely from $590 to $850.
• Applied Materials reported quarterly revenue of $9.12 billion, up 24.8% year over year, and EPS of $3.50, exceeding expectations. Shares recently traded near $507, while insiders sold 9,225 shares worth about $4.45 million over the past 90 days.

Avaii Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 2,500.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 27,825 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after buying an additional 26,755 shares during the period. Applied Materials comprises 3.9% of Avaii Wealth Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest holding. Avaii Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $14,229,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AMAT. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 4.3% during the 2nd quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 409 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $296,000 after acquiring an additional 17 shares during the period. Innovative Asset Advisors Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. Innovative Asset Advisors Group LLC now owns 961 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $695,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC now owns 1,003 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $725,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the period. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 5.9% in the 2nd quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 377 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $273,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the period. Finally, IMG Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in Applied Materials by 13.0% in the 2nd quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 183 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $132,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on AMAT. TD Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $700.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "buy" rating and issued a $605.00 price target (down from $680.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $850.00 price target (up from $650.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, August 14th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $675.00 to $695.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 1st. Finally, Mizuho lowered their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $650.00 to $590.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $640.20.

Applied Materials News Roundup

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

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In related news, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares of the firm's 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 sale, the director owned 25,544 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,877,960. This trade represents a 3.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 725 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $544.56, for a total transaction of $394,806.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 3,181 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,732,245.36. The trade was a 18.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold a total of 9,225 shares of company stock worth $4,454,181 over the last ninety days. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT traded down $2.54 on Friday, hitting $507.03. The company had a trading volume of 3,338,899 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,867,691. 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 company has a market cap of $402.38 billion, a PE ratio of 43.71, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.60. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52-week low of $203.40 and a 52-week high of $739.67. The business has a 50 day moving average of $488.90 and a 200 day moving average of $481.64.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 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 firm had revenue of $9.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. 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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