Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Sold by STF Management LP

Key Points

• STF Management LP cut its Applied Materials stake by 63.7% in the fourth quarter, leaving it with 4,561 shares worth about $1.17 million.
• Applied Materials reported strong quarterly results, beating EPS and revenue estimates, and raised guidance for Q3 2026 as revenue grew 11.4% year over year.
• The company also increased its quarterly dividend to $0.53 per share, while analysts turned more bullish with multiple price-target hikes and a consensus Moderate Buy rating.

STF Management LP lessened its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 63.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,561 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 7,990 shares during the period. Applied Materials makes up 1.1% of STF Management LP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest position. STF Management LP's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $1,172,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AMAT. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 225.4% in 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 last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 617.2% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 9,129,483 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $1,869,170,000 after acquiring an additional 7,856,576 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 40.1% in 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 last quarter. Coatue Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $685,684,000. Finally, Sanders Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 42.6% in the 3rd quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 10,978,990 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $2,247,838,000 after acquiring an additional 3,280,730 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Materials Price Performance

AMAT stock opened at $436.62 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 firm has a market capitalization of $346.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.66. The business's 50-day moving average is $379.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $319.44. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $153.47 and a 1 year high of $448.45.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.18. The company 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 38.48% and a net margin of 29.31%.Applied Materials's revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.39 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 11.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be issued 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 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 (DPR) is 18.83%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Judy Bruner sold 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $391.71, for a total value of $979,275.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 26,089 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,219,322.19. This trade represents a 8.74% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $361.21, for a total transaction of $1,806,050.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 138,565 shares in the company, valued at $50,051,063.65. The trade was a 3.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 12,003 shares of company stock worth $4,484,189. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AMAT has been the topic of several research reports. UBS Group increased their target price on Applied Materials from $480.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Applied Materials from $435.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday. KGI Securities raised Applied Materials to an "outperform" rating and set a $425.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Seaport Research Partners began coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Monday, May 4th. They set a "buy" rating and a $500.00 target price on the stock. Finally, KeyCorp increased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $450.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday. Twenty-seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $463.89.

More Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials posted record Q2 results, beating EPS and revenue expectations and lifting its outlook, with management citing strong AI infrastructure spending as a key growth driver. Applied Materials Announces Second Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street turned more bullish after the report, with multiple firms raising price targets, including Bank of America, JPMorgan, Mizuho, Morgan Stanley, Needham, and KeyCorp, reinforcing confidence in multi-year earnings growth. Applied Materials Sees Multi-Year AI Boom Driving Record Revenue And Growth Through 2028
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts highlighted a durable AI-driven semiconductor upcycle, suggesting Applied Materials could sustain elevated demand and margins through 2027-2028. Krish Sankar Reaffirms Buy on Applied Materials
• Neutral Sentiment: The broader market backdrop is weaker, with major indexes down as Treasury yields and oil prices rise, which is adding headwinds for high-valuation tech and AI stocks. Stock Market Today: Dow Falls As Oil Prices, Yields Jump; Applied Materials, Nvidia, Cerebras Slide
• Negative Sentiment: Even with the strong earnings report, the stock is slipping as investors rotate out after a sharp year-to-date rally, showing some concern that expectations may already be very high. Applied Materials slips despite record quarter and strong outlook (AMAT)

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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