Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Sold by QRG Capital Management Inc.

Key Points

• QRG Capital Management Inc. has reduced its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMAT) by 6.4%, owning 275,753 shares worth approximately $50.5 million after selling 18,835 shares during the second quarter.
• Recent analyst ratings reflect a bearish sentiment, with several firms downgrading AMAT, including Rothschild & Co Redburn, which lowered its rating from "buy" to "neutral" with a price target of $200.00.
• Applied Materials reported a quarterly earnings result of $2.48 EPS, beating estimates with a total revenue of $7.30 billion, marking a 7.7% increase compared to the previous year.

QRG Capital Management Inc. decreased its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 6.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 275,753 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 18,835 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $50,482,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in AMAT. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Applied Materials by 972.2% during the first quarter. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 193 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Maseco LLP acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 435.0% in the first quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 214 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Activest Wealth Management raised its stake in Applied Materials by 5,325.0% during the first quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 217 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 213 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AMAT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Rothschild & Co Redburn downgraded shares of Applied Materials from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $200.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Monday, July 7th. Mizuho reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $175.00 price objective (down from $200.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, September 12th. DZ Bank cut shares of Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $150.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Friday, August 15th. Daiwa Capital Markets reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $170.00 target price (down from $185.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. Finally, Bank of America reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $180.00 target price (down previously from $190.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, August 15th. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $195.12.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of AMAT opened at $217.53 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $123.74 and a twelve month high of $226.41. The firm has a market cap of $173.29 billion, a PE ratio of 25.93, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a current ratio of 2.50. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $179.50 and its 200 day moving average price is $169.31.

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

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 20th will be given a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 20th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.

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