Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Sold by Moody National Bank Trust Division

Key Points

• Moody National Bank Trust Division cut its stake in Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 38.5% in Q4, selling 4,258 shares and leaving 6,800 shares valued at about $1.75 million.
• Analysts have been raising targets and ratings on AMAT — the consensus is a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $363.46 and several firms boosting targets (e.g., B. Riley to $450, Needham to $440).
• Applied Materials beat quarterly estimates (EPS $2.38 vs. $2.21 consensus; revenue $7.01B vs. $6.88B), set Q2 guidance of $2.44–$2.84, and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.53 ($2.12 annualized).

Moody National Bank Trust Division decreased its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 38.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 6,800 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 4,258 shares during the period. Moody National Bank Trust Division's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $1,748,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Marquette Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 150.0% in the 3rd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the third quarter worth about $26,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Howard Hughes Medical Institute purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Total Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AMAT has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. B. Riley Financial restated a "buy" rating and issued a $450.00 price target (up from $400.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, February 13th. Needham & Company LLC raised their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $390.00 to $440.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $420.00 to $432.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Applied Materials from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Susquehanna upgraded Applied Materials from a "neutral" rating to a "positive" rating and raised their target price for the company from $180.00 to $400.00 in a research note on Sunday, January 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $363.46.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $379.16, for a total transaction of $202,471.44. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 4,625 shares in the company, valued at $1,753,615. This represents a 10.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 2,500 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $391.71, for a total value of $979,275.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 26,089 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,219,322.19. The trade was a 8.74% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 12,003 shares of company stock valued at $4,484,189 over the last three months. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Key Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: U.S. policy boost — a new administration-led investment consortium targeting roughly $4 trillion for chips, energy and critical-minerals supply chains raises the odds of large, multi-year fabs and infrastructure spending that directly benefits equipment vendors like AMAT. US Semiconductor Push Adds New Thread To Applied Materials Story
• Positive Sentiment: AI-driven demand and corporate strategy — recent coverage and conference presentations highlight AMAT’s push into AI chip tooling and materials technology, supporting expectations for sustained equipment orders as AI capacity expands. What’s Behind Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT)’s AI Push
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/media bullishness and buy-the-dip narratives — several bullish write-ups and interviews are framing recent pullbacks as an entry point given AMAT’s earnings beat, guidance, and secular AI/semiconductor tailwinds. Is Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT) A Good Stock To Buy Now?
• Positive Sentiment: ETF/institutional demand — AMAT is held in actively managed dividend and tech ETFs, which can provide steady passive and active buying flows as fund managers reposition into AI/semiconductor exposure. Active ETFs Surge Past Passive, and These Are in the Lead
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data appears unreliable — multiple filings cite a “large increase” in short interest but report 0 shares/NaN; this suggests reporting noise rather than a meaningful short squeeze or build-up. (No reliable link available.)
• Neutral Sentiment: Retail and analyst attention — AMAT is showing up on “trending” and sector watch lists (Zacks, MarketBeat), increasing visibility but not necessarily changing fundamentals. Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT) Is a Trending Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Macro/sector rotation risk — broader tech has been under pressure despite strong earnings growth; if investors continue to rotate out of tech, AMAT’s multiple could be capped even with improving demand (sector context from recent tech/ETF commentary).
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive and packaging dynamics — KLA and other equipment suppliers are highlighting advanced-packaging growth and supply constraints, signaling intense competition for capital spending and possible timing shifts for orders. Advanced Packaging Growth Drives KLAC's Prospects: What's Ahead?

Applied Materials Stock Up 3.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $373.99 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $296.80 billion, a PE ratio of 38.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.65. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $343.10 and a 200 day simple moving average of $272.87. The company has a current ratio of 2.71, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12-month low of $123.74 and a 12-month high of $395.95.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.88 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.78% and a return on equity of 37.52%. The firm's revenue was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.38 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. This is a positive change from Applied Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. Applied Materials's payout ratio is 18.83%.

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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