Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Sold by Allen Mooney & Barnes Investment Advisors LLC

Key Points

• Allen Mooney & Barnes Investment Advisors LLC cut its Applied Materials stake by 50.3% in the second quarter, selling 13,620 shares and retaining 13,482 shares valued at approximately $9.75 million. Institutional investors collectively own 80.56% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $658.45, despite some firms recently lowering targets or downgrading the stock to “Hold.”
• Applied Materials exceeded quarterly expectations with $3.50 in earnings per share and $9.12 billion in revenue, 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.

Allen Mooney & Barnes Investment Advisors LLC trimmed its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 50.3% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 13,482 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 13,620 shares during the quarter. Allen Mooney & Barnes Investment Advisors LLC's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $9,747,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Harborfront Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Financial Freedom LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 1st quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Dogwood Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 52.4% in the 4th quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 128 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AMAT has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. HSBC reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $683.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Monday, July 27th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Applied Materials from $646.00 to $642.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 14th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on Applied Materials from $720.00 to $650.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Erste Group Bank cut Applied Materials from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, HC Wainwright set a $850.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Monday, June 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $658.45.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, insider Prabu Raja sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 directly owned 346,642 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $219,608,106.26. This represents a 2.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Thomas Iannotti sold 9,250 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $599.77, for a total transaction of $5,547,872.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 40,559 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,326,071.43. The trade was a 18.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 231,692 shares of company stock valued at $146,114,059 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Applied Materials stock opened at $435.91 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $345.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 1.60. 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 stock has a 50 day moving average of $536.69 and a 200-day moving average of $460.63. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $155.40 and a 52 week high of $739.67.

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, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $9.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.99 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 30.05% and a return on equity of 38.02%. The firm's revenue was up 24.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.48 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.28%.

More Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: AI infrastructure spending is supporting demand for Applied Materials’ semiconductor equipment, particularly in advanced packaging, DRAM and high-bandwidth memory (HBM). Accelerating global fab investment could sustain growth in wafer-fabrication equipment. AMAT Rides on AI-Led WFE Demand: Can it Sustain the Momentum?
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts have raised their Applied Materials earnings expectations, including an increase to the fiscal 2027 EPS estimate. UBS also reportedly sees meaningful potential appreciation, reinforcing the bullish outlook for the stock. FY2027 EPS Estimate for Applied Materials Boosted by Analyst
• Positive Sentiment: Management’s forecast was raised twice between February and August. Investors have re-rated AMAT based on improving forward expectations, even though trailing-twelve-month revenue growth was only 7.8%. Why Did Applied Materials Stock Nearly Triple on Single-Digit Trailing Revenue Growth?
• Neutral Sentiment: The semiconductor wafer-inspection market is expected to expand through 2035, driven by AI, electric vehicles, advanced nodes and advanced packaging. This supports Applied Materials’ long-term addressable market but does not necessarily provide an immediate earnings catalyst. Semiconductor Wafer Inspection Equipment Market Outlook 2025-2035
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation remains the main pressure point. After a roughly 237% five-year gain and a major year-to-date advance, investors may be demanding increasingly strong results to justify AMAT’s premium multiple. Can Applied Materials Still Look Cheap After a 237% Run?
• Negative Sentiment: The stock’s recent decline despite record revenue and above-consensus guidance suggests that expectations, profit-taking and concerns about the semiconductor cycle are outweighing the positive operating news. Applied Materials Just Dropped 14% in a Month. Sell Now, or Buy More?

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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