Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Sold by BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp

Key Points

• BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp has reduced its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. by 1.4%, now owning 155,617 shares worth approximately $22.58 million.
• A number of analyst firms have adjusted their price targets for Applied Materials, with consensus now at $193.88, indicating a mix of ratings including 17 "buy" ratings and 1 "sell" rating.
• The company reported a quarterly earnings per share of $2.48, exceeding estimates, along with a revenue of $7.30 billion, which is a year-over-year increase of 7.7%.

BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp reduced its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 1.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 155,617 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 2,247 shares during the quarter. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $22,583,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 972.2% in the first quarter. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 193 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares during the period. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares during the period. Disciplina Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 91.5% in the first quarter. Disciplina Capital Management LLC now owns 272 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the period. Finally, Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $44,000. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on AMAT. B. Riley dropped their target price on Applied Materials from $250.00 to $215.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 12th. Redburn Atlantic lowered Applied Materials from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their target price for the company from $225.00 to $200.00 in a report on Monday, July 7th. Summit Insights lowered Applied Materials from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, August 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Applied Materials in a report on Thursday, July 10th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $225.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Bank of America reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $180.00 target price (down previously from $190.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, August 15th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $193.88.

Applied Materials Stock Up 1.7%

AMAT opened at $162.49 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 2.46 and a quick ratio of 1.76. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $183.13 and a 200-day simple moving average of $166.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $130.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.37, a P/E/G ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.70. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $123.74 and a 12 month high of $215.70.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.48 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.36 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $7.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.21 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 41.31% and a net margin of 23.88%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.12 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 1.910-2.310 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 562 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.60, for a total value of $100,373.20. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 5,300 shares in the company, valued at $946,580. This represents a 9.59% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Applied Materials

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.

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