Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Sold by Palmer Knight Co

Key Points

• Palmer Knight Co cut its stake in Applied Materials by 16.9% in Q4, selling 5,967 shares and retaining 29,407 shares worth about $7.56 million (4.0% of the firm's portfolio).
• Applied Materials beat Q1 estimates with EPS of $2.38 and revenue of $7.01B, set Q2 guidance of $2.44–$2.84 EPS, and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.53 ($2.12 annualized, 0.5% yield).
• Analysts have raised price targets (up to $500) and maintain a consensus "Moderate Buy" average target of $370.86, while institutional investors own roughly 80.6% of the stock.

Palmer Knight Co cut its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 16.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 29,407 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 5,967 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials makes up 4.0% of Palmer Knight Co's portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Palmer Knight Co's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $7,557,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Applied Materials by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 76,779,340 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $19,731,523,000 after buying an additional 330,197 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its position in Applied Materials by 225.4% during the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 14,877,672 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $3,046,057,000 after acquiring an additional 10,305,182 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in Applied Materials by 40.1% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 12,520,114 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $2,563,376,000 after acquiring an additional 3,583,751 shares during the period. Sanders Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 42.6% in the third quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 10,978,990 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $2,247,838,000 after purchasing an additional 3,280,730 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 19.0% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 10,552,132 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $2,160,443,000 after purchasing an additional 1,681,911 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Needham & Company LLC raised their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $390.00 to $440.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Applied Materials from $430.00 to $480.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday. Seaport Research Partners assumed coverage on Applied Materials in a research report on Monday. They issued a "buy" rating and a $500.00 price target for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $450.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald restated an "overweight" rating and set a $470.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, February 13th. Twenty-seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $370.86.

Applied Materials Trading Up 5.0%

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $410.82 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $369.34 and a two-hundred day moving average of $308.46. The company has a quick ratio of 1.94, a current ratio of 2.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12-month low of $151.51 and a 12-month high of $420.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $326.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.66.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.88 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.38 earnings per share. Applied Materials's quarterly revenue was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 11.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. This is a boost from Applied Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. Applied Materials's payout ratio is 18.83%.

More Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised its price target on AMAT from $432 to $454 and kept an "overweight" rating, implying roughly a 10.5% upside from the recent price — a clear catalyst for buying interest. Morgan Stanley ups AMAT price target
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst write-ups (Zacks/Yahoo) highlight AMAT’s strong earnings-surprise history and its mix of revenue and margin drivers that make another beat likely; that reinforces expectations after AMAT’s recent Q1 beat and Q2 guidance range. Will Applied Materials (AMAT) Beat Estimates Again in Its Next Earnings Report?
• Positive Sentiment: Industry results from suppliers like Advanced Energy showing AI/data-center driven revenue growth support a broader demand narrative for semiconductor equipment — a tailwind for AMAT’s order outlook. Advanced Energy Q1 Earnings Beat Estimates, Revenues Increase Y/Y
• Neutral Sentiment: Notes comparing AMAT to technology peers show it has outpaced many in the sector year-to-date — useful context for positioning but not an immediate earnings catalyst. Is Applied Materials (AMAT) Stock Outpacing Its Computer and Technology Peers This Year?
• Neutral Sentiment: Other semiconductor supplier beats (Lattice) and analyst tools highlighting likely beats are corroborating signals but affect AMAT indirectly via sector sentiment. Lattice Semiconductor (LSCC) Q1 Earnings and Revenues Beat Estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage of other names (ACM Research) is headline noise for the ecosystem but not directly material to AMAT’s fundamentals. ACM Research to Report Q1 Earnings: What's in Store for the Stock?
• Negative Sentiment: A broader cautionary note: chip stocks surged sharply in April (70%+), raising the risk of a near-term pullback or multiple compression if growth expectations cool — a potential headwind for richly valued names like AMAT. Chip Stocks Soared 70% in April. Have They Gone Too Far?

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $379.16, for a total value of $202,471.44. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,625 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,753,615. The trade was a 10.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 3,969 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $377.02, for a total transaction of $1,496,392.38. Following the transaction, the director owned 28,589 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,778,624.78. This trade represents a 12.19% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 12,003 shares of company stock valued at $4,484,189. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Applied Materials Company 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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