Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Sold by NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC

Key Points

• NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC trimmed its position in Applied Materials by 2.5% in Q4, selling 5,757 shares and now holds 220,103 shares worth about $62.58 million (≈1.4% of the firm's portfolio).
• Applied Materials raised its quarterly dividend by 15% to $0.53 per share (annualized $2.12), payable June 11 with an ex-dividend date of May 21, signaling management confidence in cash flow.
• Wall Street sentiment is largely positive — several analysts raised price targets (e.g., Citigroup $420, TD Cowen $450, RBC $430) and the consensus is a “Moderate Buy” with a $363.46 target after AMAT beat Q4 EPS ($2.38 vs. $2.21) and set Q2 2026 EPS guidance of 2.440–2.840.

NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC cut its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 2.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 220,103 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 5,757 shares during the period. Applied Materials comprises about 1.4% of NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest position. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $62,580,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Grandfield & Dodd LLC increased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 6.9% in the third quarter. Grandfield & Dodd LLC now owns 269,511 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $55,180,000 after acquiring an additional 17,397 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,101,772 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $635,057,000 after purchasing an additional 145,050 shares in the last quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 21.8% during the 3rd quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 96,712 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $19,801,000 after purchasing an additional 17,288 shares in the last quarter. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 82.2% in the 3rd quarter. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan now owns 26,893 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $5,512,000 after purchasing an additional 12,132 shares during the period. Finally, Avity Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Avity Investment Management Inc. now owns 223,211 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $45,700,000 after purchasing an additional 2,376 shares during the period. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on AMAT shares. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $315.00 to $450.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $430.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, February 13th. 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, Erste Group Bank started coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. They issued a "hold" rating on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $363.46.

More Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied announced a 15% increase to its quarterly dividend (to $0.53/share), with the next payment in June — a shareholder-friendly move that supports the stock after its strong run and signals confidence in cash flow. Applied Materials Raises Its Dividend 15%
• Positive Sentiment: Applied is listed in actively managed dividend and thematic ETFs that have seen large inflows, which can provide steady buying demand from fund flows. Active ETFs Surge Past Passive, and These Are in the Lead
• Neutral Sentiment: Quarterly review pieces position AMAT among semiconductor-equipment winners for the quarter — earnings beat and revenue roughly in line — but note mixed revenue trends across peers; these analyses help frame valuation expectations but don’t change near-term fundamentals. Winners And Losers Of Q4: Applied Materials NASDAQ: AMAT Vs The Rest Of The Semiconductor Manufacturing Stocks
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry coverage of peers (e.g., Lam Research) highlights strong AI-driven capex but raises questions about sustainability — this is a sector-level readthrough that could influence investor sentiment for AMAT over 2026. Can Lam Research's Systems Business Sustain Growth Amid AI Capex Boom?
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent short-interest notices for AMAT contain implausible/zero values (0 shares, NaN increases), indicating data reporting issues rather than a clear short-squeeze signal; treat short-interest readings with caution until corrected.
• Negative Sentiment: Macroeconomic volatility is weighing on market breadth: oil prices and U.S. Treasury yields spiking have helped push major indices below technical support, which typically pressures cyclicals and capex-exposed names like AMAT. Dow Jones Breaks As Oil Prices, Yields Soar, But Then Trump Mulls 'Winding Down' Iran War
• Negative Sentiment: Sector volatility shown by peers (e.g., Micron moving lower despite strong results) reflects investor caution in semiconductors — good company-specific news for AMAT may still be offset by risk-off flows. Dow Jones Futures: Oil Backs Off $100; Micron Skids Despite Blowout Earnings

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $379.16, for a total transaction of $202,471.44. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,625 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,753,615. The trade was a 10.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 2,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $391.71, for a total transaction of $979,275.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 26,089 shares in the company, valued at $10,219,322.19. This trade represents a 8.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 12,003 shares of company stock worth $4,484,189 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AMAT opened at $357.06 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 2.71 and a quick ratio of 1.94. The business has a 50-day moving average of $340.63 and a 200-day moving average of $269.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $283.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.55, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.65. Applied Materials, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $123.74 and a fifty-two week high of $395.95.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $0.17. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 37.52% and a net margin of 27.78%.The business had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.88 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.38 earnings per share. Applied Materials's revenue was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is an increase from Applied Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.83%.

About Applied Materials

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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