Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Sold by F&V Capital Management LLC

Key Points

• F&V Capital Management cut its Applied Materials stake by 28.9% in the first quarter, selling 27,485 shares and leaving it with 67,711 shares valued at about $23.1 million.
• Several Applied Materials insiders have also sold stock recently, including CEO Gary E. Dickerson and insider Prabu G. Raja; insiders have sold 278,088 shares worth about $169.7 million over the last 90 days.
• Despite the selling, Wall Street remains bullish: analysts have a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating, with a target price of $553.56, while the company beat quarterly EPS and revenue estimates and raised its Q3 guidance.

F&V Capital Management LLC reduced its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 28.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 67,711 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 27,485 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials makes up about 4.9% of F&V Capital Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest holding. F&V Capital Management LLC's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $23,143,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 28.0% during the fourth 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 last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in Applied Materials by 26.7% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,225 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $590,000 after purchasing an additional 679 shares during the last quarter. Forefront Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the second quarter worth $410,000. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 30.1% during the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 15,003 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $2,747,000 after purchasing an additional 3,469 shares during the period. Finally, Sei Investments Co. lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 59.3% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 422,694 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $77,383,000 after buying an additional 157,426 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In related news, CEO Gary E. Dickerson sold 71,727 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $593.75, for a total transaction of $42,587,906.25. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,695,164 shares in the company, valued at $1,006,503,625. The trade was a 4.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 50,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $505.28, for a total transaction of $25,264,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 356,642 shares of the company's stock, valued at $180,204,069.76. The trade was a 12.30% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 278,088 shares of company stock worth $169,654,805 in the last ninety days. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on AMAT. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $510.00 to $770.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Applied Materials from $400.00 to $515.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. HSBC began coverage on Applied Materials in a report on Friday, May 8th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $517.00 price target on the stock. HC Wainwright set a $850.00 price objective on Applied Materials in a research report on Monday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Applied Materials from $390.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Twenty-seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $553.56.

Key Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials is being highlighted as a key beneficiary of AI infrastructure spending, with coverage emphasizing its role in DRAM and advanced packaging innovations that support next-generation semiconductor growth. Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT) Discusses DRAM and Advanced Packaging Innovations for AI-Driven Semiconductor Growth Prepared Remarks Transcript
• Positive Sentiment: Investor sentiment was also supported by a Zacks list naming AMAT among the day’s top momentum stocks, reinforcing bullish technical momentum. Best Momentum Stocks to Buy for July 2nd
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary continues to frame Applied Materials as a behind-the-scenes winner from the AI boom, which could help justify its elevated valuation if chip demand stays strong. Applied Materials Is Silently Powering the AI Boom. Here's Why.
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader semiconductor stocks sold off as investors took profits after a strong first half, suggesting some of AMAT’s weakness may be sector-driven rather than company-specific. Why Applied Materials (AMAT) Shares Are Falling Today
• Neutral Sentiment: Another report noted AMAT fell more than the overall market in the latest session, but the move was tied to chip-sector weakness rather than a new earnings miss or guidance cut. Applied Materials (AMAT) Suffers a Larger Drop Than the General Market: Key Insights
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Gary Dickerson disclosed two sizable stock sales, including 20,000 shares sold at $735.22, which can weigh on investor sentiment even though he still retains a very large position. Applied Materials NASDAQ: AMAT CEO Sells $14,704,400.00 in Stock

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $603.04 on Friday. The firm's 50 day moving average is $495.52 and its two-hundred day moving average is $389.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $478.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 56.62, a PEG ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.57. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $154.46 and a 52 week high of $739.67.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The business had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.68 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.39 earnings per share. The business'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. Analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials's payout ratio is 19.91%.

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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