Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Sold by Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd.

Key Points

• Resona Asset Management trimmed its Applied Materials position by 5.9% in the fourth quarter, selling 16,352 shares and leaving it with 262,498 shares valued at about $67.7 million.
• Insiders also sold shares, including Director Judy Bruner and CAO Adam Sanders, with total insider sales over the last 90 days reaching 7,003 shares worth $2.68 million.
• Applied Materials reported better-than-expected quarterly results with EPS of $2.86 on revenue of $7.91 billion, and it raised its quarterly dividend to $0.53 per share from $0.46.

Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. reduced its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 5.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 262,498 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 16,352 shares during the quarter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd.'s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $67,733,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 48.7% during the fourth quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Joseph Group Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Applied Materials by 52.4% in the 4th quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 128 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Finally, IMG Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in Applied Materials by 147.2% in the 4th quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 131 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Applied Materials news, Director Judy Bruner sold 3,969 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $377.02, for a total value of $1,496,392.38. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 28,589 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,778,624.78. This represents a 12.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares of the company'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 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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 7,003 shares of company stock worth $2,678,139. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on AMAT shares. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their target price on Applied Materials from $550.00 to $575.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday. UBS Group boosted their target price on Applied Materials from $480.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, March 27th. Summit Insights upgraded Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, HSBC started coverage on Applied Materials in a report on Friday, May 8th. They set a "buy" rating and a $517.00 target price for the company. Twenty-six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $463.89.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Applied Materials stock opened at $413.57 on Tuesday. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $380.43 and its 200 day moving average price is $321.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $328.21 billion, a PE ratio of 38.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a current ratio of 2.51. Applied Materials, Inc. has a one year low of $153.47 and a one year high of $448.45.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.Applied Materials's revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.39 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 11.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be given a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. This is a positive change from Applied Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio is currently 17.28%.

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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