Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Sold by Freestone Grove Partners LP

Key Points

• Freestone Grove Partners LP cut its Applied Materials stake by 97.9% in the second quarter, selling 31,437 shares and retaining 663 shares valued at approximately $479,000.
• Institutional ownership remains substantial at 80.56%, with several funds adding to their positions, including Handelsbanken Fonder, which increased its stake by 105,776 shares.
• Applied Materials reported strong quarterly results, with revenue up 24.8% year over year to $9.12 billion and EPS of $3.50, while analysts maintain a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and average price target of $657.76.

Freestone Grove Partners LP decreased its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 97.9% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 663 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 31,437 shares during the period. Freestone Grove Partners LP's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $479,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Caldwell Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,589,000. Evolve Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 59.0% in the 1st quarter. Evolve Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,875 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $983,000 after purchasing an additional 1,067 shares during the last quarter. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,082,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC raised its position in Applied Materials by 183.7% in the fourth quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,073 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $790,000 after purchasing an additional 1,990 shares during the period. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 29.6% during the second quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 462,685 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $334,521,000 after purchasing an additional 105,776 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Semiconductor and AI demand remains strong: Recent coverage highlights Applied Materials’ $9.12 billion third-quarter revenue, up 25% year over year, and non-GAAP EPS of $3.50, up 41%. Management cited record demand visibility from AI infrastructure, more than 10 new fab projects during the quarter and fourth-quarter revenue guidance of $10.25 billion. The company is also continuing share repurchases and investing $5 billion in its EPIC Center to accelerate semiconductor innovation. The AI Buildout Is Turning Applied Materials Into A Profit Machine
• Positive Sentiment: New board member adds semiconductor expertise: AMAT appointed Akash Palkhiwala, Qualcomm’s CFO and COO, to its board and Audit Committee. His finance, operations and industry experience could strengthen oversight as Applied Materials pursues growth tied to advanced logic, memory and AI chip production. Applied Materials Appoints Akash Palkhiwala to Board of Directors
• Neutral Sentiment: Options market signals elevated uncertainty: A new analysis says options pricing for roughly one year ahead implies a particularly wide potential trading range, extending materially below and above the current level. That suggests investors should expect significant volatility rather than providing a clear directional signal. How Far Applied Materials Stock Can Move In A Year
• Negative Sentiment: CFO share sale may weigh modestly on sentiment: CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 AMAT shares for approximately $3.6 million, reducing his direct holdings by 5.51%. The sale does not alter the company’s operating outlook, but insider selling can create a limited short-term sentiment overhang. SEC Insider Transaction Filing

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on AMAT. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Applied Materials from $715.00 to $740.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Raymond James Financial set a $650.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. Susquehanna lifted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $575.00 to $900.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $605.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, August 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $657.76.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AMAT opened at $461.67 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $366.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 1.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 2.42 and a quick ratio of 1.79. The business has a 50-day moving average of $550.80 and a two-hundred day moving average of $457.65. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $154.46 and a 1 year high of $739.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $9.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.99 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 30.05% and a return on equity of 38.02%. The company's revenue was up 24.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.48 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. Applied Materials's payout ratio is currently 18.28%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $633.53, for a total value of $6,335,300.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 346,642 shares in the company, valued at $219,608,106.26. The trade was a 2.80% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Omkaram Nalamasu sold 24,263 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $593.43, for a total value of $14,398,392.09. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 146,916 shares of the company's stock, valued at $87,184,361.88. This trade represents a 14.17% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 284,192 shares of company stock valued at $172,625,209. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Applied Materials Profile

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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