Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Sold by FORA Capital LLC

Key Points

• FORA Capital LLC reduced its stake in Applied Materials by 55.1% during the first quarter, holding 37,651 shares valued at approximately $5.46 million.
• A number of brokerages have downgraded Applied Materials' ratings, with Daiwa America changing its rating from "strong-buy" to "hold" and Rothschild & Co setting a new price target of $200.00.
• Applied Materials announced a quarterly dividend of $0.46 per share, representing an annualized yield of 1.1%, with the payment date set for September 11th.

FORA Capital LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 55.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 37,651 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 46,191 shares during the quarter. FORA Capital LLC's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $5,464,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Eagle Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Applied Materials by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC now owns 16,004 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $2,603,000 after buying an additional 290 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in Applied Materials by 28.0% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,674 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $2,061,000 after purchasing an additional 2,771 shares during the period. Value Partners Investments Inc. boosted its position in Applied Materials by 8.7% during the 4th quarter. Value Partners Investments Inc. now owns 9,896 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $1,608,000 after purchasing an additional 793 shares during the period. Nebula Research & Development LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at $777,000. Finally, Capital Analysts LLC raised its position in Applied Materials by 17.5% in the fourth quarter. Capital Analysts LLC now owns 2,408 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $391,000 after purchasing an additional 359 shares during the period. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Applied Materials Stock Down 2.7%

Shares of AMAT traded down $4.51 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $160.76. The company had a trading volume of 7,169,673 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,389,400. The stock has a market cap of $128.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.16, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 1.70. The company's 50 day moving average price is $182.32 and its 200 day moving average price is $165.63. The company has a quick ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 2.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $123.74 and a 52 week high of $215.70.

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

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The company 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 21st. Applied Materials's payout ratio is 21.93%.

Insider Activity

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Applied Materials from $169.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Cfra Research upgraded Applied Materials to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, August 15th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $205.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Redburn Atlantic cut shares of Applied Materials from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $225.00 to $200.00 in a research report on Monday, July 7th. Finally, Daiwa America downgraded shares of Applied Materials from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target 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.