Earnest Partners LLC Sells 18,768 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Earnest Partners LLC reduced its shareholding in Applied Materials, Inc. by 5.8% during the first quarter, now owning 306,075 shares valued at approximately $44.4 million.
• Multiple institutional investors adjusted their positions in Applied Materials, with Runnymede Capital Advisors increasing its stake by 972.2%, highlighting significant interest in the stock despite recent sell-offs.
• Applied Materials reported earnings of $2.48 per share for the last quarter, exceeding expectations, and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.46, reflecting a dividend yield of 1.1%.

Earnest Partners LLC lowered its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 5.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 306,075 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 18,768 shares during the period. Earnest Partners LLC's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $44,418,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Applied Materials by 972.2% during the 1st quarter. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 193 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 175 shares during the period. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the 1st quarter valued at $29,000. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd boosted its position in Applied Materials by 435.0% during the 1st quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 214 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 174 shares during the period. Disciplina Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Applied Materials by 91.5% in the 1st quarter. Disciplina Capital Management LLC now owns 272 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth about $44,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AMAT has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Wolfe Research dropped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $230.00 to $200.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Mizuho dropped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $200.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $200.00 target price (down from $225.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Daiwa Capital Markets reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $170.00 target price (down from $185.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $193.88.

Applied Materials Stock Down 2.7%

NASDAQ AMAT traded down $4.51 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $160.76. 7,198,461 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,237,243. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52-week low of $123.74 and a 52-week high of $215.70. The firm has a market cap of $128.07 billion, a PE ratio of 19.16, a PEG ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 1.70. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $182.15 and a 200 day simple moving average of $165.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 2.50 and a quick ratio of 1.76.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.36 by $0.12. Applied Materials had a net margin of 23.88% and a return on equity of 40.96%. The company had revenue of $7.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.21 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.12 EPS. Applied Materials's revenue was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 1.910-2.310 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 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 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 21st. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.93%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Applied Materials news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 562 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.60, for a total transaction of $100,373.20. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 5,300 shares in the company, valued at approximately $946,580. This trade represents a 9.59% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Company Profile

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.