Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Purchased by First Citizens Bank & Trust Co.

Key Points

• First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. increased its Applied Materials stake by 2.6% in the first quarter, adding 2,081 shares to reach 83,665 shares valued at about $28.6 million.
• Wall Street sentiment remains positive: several analysts recently raised price targets, and the stock now carries a Moderate Buy consensus with an average target price of $593.84.
• Applied Materials reported strong fiscal Q2 results, topping estimates on both earnings and revenue, while also announcing a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share payable September 10.

First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. raised its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 2.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 83,665 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after acquiring an additional 2,081 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials accounts for about 0.5% of First Citizens Bank & Trust Co.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest holding. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co.'s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $28,596,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Evolve Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in Applied Materials by 59.0% during the 1st quarter. Evolve Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,875 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $983,000 after purchasing an additional 1,067 shares in the last quarter. Worth Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,531,000. World Investment Advisors raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 82,296 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $21,149,000 after purchasing an additional 3,508 shares in the last quarter. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,082,000. Finally, Baker Chad R boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 76.6% during the 4th quarter. Baker Chad R now owns 16,530 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $4,297,000 after buying an additional 7,170 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AMAT has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $590.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. KeyCorp increased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $550.00 to $750.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $540.00 to $720.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Erste Group Bank raised shares of Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald upped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $650.00 to $850.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $593.84.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In related news, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $633.53, for a total transaction of $6,335,300.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 346,642 shares in the company, valued at $219,608,106.26. This represents a 2.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Timothy M. Deane sold 8,621 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $590.76, for a total transaction of $5,092,941.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 134,631 shares in the company, valued at $79,534,609.56. This represents a 6.02% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 278,088 shares of company stock worth $169,654,805. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of AMAT opened at $564.55 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $448.23 billion, a PE ratio of 53.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.57. The business's fifty day moving average price is $537.43 and its 200 day moving average price is $418.14. 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, Inc. has a 12-month low of $154.46 and a 12-month high of $739.67.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.39 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.14 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be issued a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials's payout ratio is 19.91%.

Trending Headlines about Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Peer Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing announced plans to raise chipmaking prices by up to 10% in 2027, while wafer supplier IQE lifted guidance, reinforcing expectations for strong AI and data-center chip demand and more equipment spending across the semiconductor supply chain. Why Applied Materials (AMAT) Stock Is Up Today
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials’ installed base services business appears to be a growing recurring-revenue engine, with Applied Global Services revenue rising to $1.665 billion from $1.42 billion a year earlier as fab utilization improves. Is AMAT's Installed Base Business Built for Long-Term Growth?
• Positive Sentiment: Industry commentary continues to point to AI-driven semiconductor growth as a tailwind for AMAT, with analysts highlighting the company as a beneficiary of sustained demand for advanced chips and manufacturing equipment. 3 Stocks to Buy From the Prospering Semiconductor Industry
• Neutral Sentiment: Applied Materials also joined CuspAI’s AI Materials Foundry as a founding member, a strategic move that could support long-term materials discovery efforts, though it is not an immediate earnings catalyst. Applied Materials (AMAT) Joins CuspAI Foundry To Speed Semiconductor Materials Discovery
• Negative Sentiment: Some market commentary flagged seasonal weakness for AMAT heading into late July, which could temper momentum if investors focus on near-term trading patterns. Three Stocks Just Flashed Seasonal Signals

Applied Materials Profile

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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