Guggenheim Capital LLC Sells 30,038 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Guggenheim Capital LLC has reduced its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. by 6.2%, selling 30,038 shares and holding 458,303 shares by the end of the first quarter.
• Applied Materials reported earnings of $2.48 EPS for the recent quarter, surpassing estimates, with revenue of $7.30 billion, marking a 7.7% increase year-over-year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.46 per share, with a dividend yield of 1.1%, and a payout ratio of 21.93%.

Guggenheim Capital LLC trimmed its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 6.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 458,303 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 30,038 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials accounts for approximately 0.6% of Guggenheim Capital LLC's holdings, making the stock its 20th largest position. Guggenheim Capital LLC owned approximately 0.06% of Applied Materials worth $66,509,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of AMAT. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 972.2% in the 1st quarter. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 193 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the period. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 435.0% in the 1st quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 214 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the period. Disciplina Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 during the period. Finally, Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth approximately $44,000. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 562 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 5,300 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $946,580. This trade represents a 9.59% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Price Performance

NASDAQ AMAT traded down $4.51 during trading on Friday, hitting $160.76. 7,198,461 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,237,243. The company has a market capitalization of $128.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 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 $165.47. 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 12-month low of $123.74 and a 12-month high of $215.70.

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

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 11th. Investors 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 dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 21st. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.93%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on AMAT shares. Wall Street Zen cut Applied Materials from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, June 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald reduced their price target on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $200.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 15th. UBS Group reduced their price target on Applied Materials from $185.00 to $180.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Rothschild & Co Redburn cut Applied Materials from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $200.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Monday, July 7th. Finally, Wolfe Research reduced their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $230.00 to $200.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 15th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $193.88.

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.