Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Sold by Korea Investment CORP

Key Points

• Korea Investment CORP has reduced its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. by 4.2%, now owning 614,275 shares valued at approximately $89.14 million.
• Applied Materials reported a 14.1% decrease in stock value, opening at $161.76, with a twelve-month range between $123.74 and $215.70.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.46 per share, representing an annualized yield of 1.1%.

Korea Investment CORP lowered its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 4.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 614,275 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 27,053 shares during the period. Korea Investment CORP owned approximately 0.08% of Applied Materials worth $89,144,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Eagle Capital Management LLC grew its holdings 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 worth $2,603,000 after buying an additional 290 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 28.0% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,674 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $2,061,000 after purchasing an additional 2,771 shares during the period. Value Partners Investments Inc. lifted its holdings 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 in the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 69.9% during the 4th quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 4,829 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $785,000 after acquiring an additional 1,986 shares during the period. Finally, GeoWealth Management LLC grew its position in Applied Materials by 23.5% during the fourth quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 6,338 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $1,031,000 after buying an additional 1,208 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AMAT has been the topic of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Applied Materials from $169.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Applied Materials from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 14th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target 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. DZ Bank downgraded shares of Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $150.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn downgraded Applied Materials from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $200.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Monday, July 7th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $193.88.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

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

Applied Materials Price Performance

Applied Materials stock traded down $1.26 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $160.96. 9,316,342 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,439,592. The company has a market cap of $129.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.18, a PEG ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.70. The company has a quick ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 2.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $183.83 and a two-hundred day moving average of $166.39. 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.36 by $0.12. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 41.31% and a net margin of 23.88%.The company had revenue of $7.30 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.21 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.12 earnings per share. 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. Equities analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

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 issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 21st. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.93%.

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.