Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Sold by Conning Inc.

Key Points

• Conning Inc. cut its Applied Materials stake by 29.5% in the fourth quarter, selling 8,956 shares and leaving it with 21,403 shares valued at about $5.5 million.
• Applied Materials reported strong quarterly results, beating analyst estimates for both earnings and revenue, and issued third-quarter guidance above expectations as AI-related spending continues to support demand.
• Analyst and insider activity remains active: several firms raised price targets and maintained bullish ratings, while insiders sold shares recently and the company also increased its quarterly dividend to $0.53 per share.

Conning Inc. lowered its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 29.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 21,403 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 8,956 shares during the period. Conning Inc.'s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $5,500,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AMAT. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in Applied Materials by 28.0% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,674 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $2,061,000 after purchasing an additional 2,771 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 26.7% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,225 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $590,000 after buying an additional 679 shares in the last quarter. Forefront Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials in the second quarter valued at about $410,000. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 30.1% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 15,003 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $2,747,000 after buying an additional 3,469 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 59.3% in the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 422,694 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $77,383,000 after buying an additional 157,426 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In other news, Director Judy Bruner sold 3,969 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $377.02, for a total transaction of $1,496,392.38. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 28,589 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,778,624.78. This trade represents a 12.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $379.16, for a total transaction of $202,471.44. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,625 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,753,615. This trade represents a 10.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 12,003 shares of company stock valued at $4,484,189 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials reported better-than-expected Q2 results, with EPS and revenue both topping analyst forecasts, signaling healthy demand for its chip-making tools. Applied Materials (AMAT) Surpasses Q2 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: The company issued third-quarter guidance above expectations for both EPS and revenue, reinforcing confidence that AI-related spending will keep driving growth. Applied Materials sees upbeat quarterly revenue on sustained AI spending
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted record quarterly performance and ongoing strength in AI computing infrastructure buildout, which supports the bullish stock reaction. Applied Materials delivers record quarter and stronger-than-expected outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Recent analyst price-target increases and multiple Buy/Overweight ratings added to momentum ahead of and after earnings. Citi massively revamps Applied Materials stock price target
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors were already expecting a big move into earnings, with options markets pricing in elevated volatility around the report. Applied Materials Last-Minute Q2 Earnings Alert
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and media continued to frame AMAT as a key AI infrastructure beneficiary, keeping sentiment constructive without adding new company-specific news. How Applied Materials (AMAT) Is Deepening Its Role in AI Chip Manufacturing
• Negative Sentiment: Some investors remain cautious because growth in China has been slowing and export restrictions could continue to pressure demand in certain segments. Applied Materials' Coming AI Boom Comes Under the Microscope as It Reports Earnings

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on AMAT shares. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $425.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $350.00 to $435.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Seaport Research Partners started coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Monday, May 4th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $500.00 target price for the company. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $510.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday. Finally, Susquehanna increased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $435.00 to $500.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Twenty-eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $389.69.

Applied Materials Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of AMAT opened at $440.56 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 2.71 and a quick ratio of 1.94. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $377.52 and a 200-day simple moving average of $318.62. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1-year low of $153.47 and a 1-year high of $448.45. The stock has a market cap of $349.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.66.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.18. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.78% and a return on equity of 37.52%. The business had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.68 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.39 EPS. The company's revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 11.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. This is a positive change from Applied Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio is 18.83%.

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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