Clark Capital Management Group Inc. Cuts Stock Position in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Clark Capital Management Group Inc. significantly reduced its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. by 88.5%, selling 158,248 shares, while retaining 20,514 shares worth approximately $2.98 million.
• Applied Materials reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $2.48, exceeding estimates, with a revenue increase of 7.7% year-over-year to $7.30 billion.
• The company has announced a quarterly dividend of $0.46 per share, reflecting a 1.1% dividend yield, with a payout ratio of 21.93%.

Clark Capital Management Group Inc. lessened its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 88.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 20,514 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 158,248 shares during the quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc.'s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $2,977,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Old Port Advisors grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 2.5% in the first quarter. Old Port Advisors now owns 2,730 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $396,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 4.7% in the first quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 1,506 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $218,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 2.8% in the first quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 2,540 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $369,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 7.2% in the first quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 1,047 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $152,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hardy Reed LLC grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 1.0% in the first quarter. Hardy Reed LLC now owns 7,324 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $1,063,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

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

Applied Materials Trading Up 2.9%

NASDAQ:AMAT traded up $4.51 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $162.75. 7,034,707 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,278,482. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 2.50 and a quick ratio of 1.76. The firm has a market cap of $129.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.40, a PEG ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.77. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52-week low of $123.74 and a 52-week high of $215.70. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $180.02 and a 200 day simple moving average of $164.86.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.48 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.36 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $7.30 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.21 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 23.88% and a return on equity of 40.96%. Applied Materials's revenue was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.12 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 1.910-2.310 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 21st will be paid a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis 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%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wolfe Research lowered their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $230.00 to $200.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Summit Insights downgraded shares of Applied Materials from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, August 15th. DZ Bank downgraded shares of Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $150.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Friday, August 15th. Finally, Bank of America reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $180.00 price objective (down previously from $190.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, August 15th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $193.88.

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.